The Crimson Collective, a high-profile hacker group known for extortion ransomware and brazen corporate data breaches, is making waves again—this time claiming it has compromised Nintendo’s internal systems. On October 10, screenshots of what appear to be internal Nintendo folders containing production assets, developer builds, and backups began circulating on social media, allegedly provided by the Crimson Collective as proof of their latest hack. While Nintendo has yet to officially confirm or deny the breach, cybersecurity analysts and fans are drawing parallels to past incidents like Nintendo’s infamous 2020 ‘Gigaleak,’ stirring concerns about possible leaks of Switch 2 documentation, game prototypes, and sensitive developer tools.
Origins and History of Crimson Collective
The Crimson Collective established its notoriety only weeks prior, in September 2025, carrying out a large-scale breach of Red Hat’s internal GitHub repositories and stealing an estimated 570GB of source code, authentication keys, and customer data. The group was linked to previous corporate breaches, including telecommunications firms and cloud service operators across the Americas. Crimson Collective’s method typically involves quickly exfiltrating massive troves of data, publicly releasing folder screenshots as proof, and then demanding ransom from the victim in exchange for not leaking or selling the full archives. Red Hat confirmed its breach in early October and notified authorities, but refused to pay the ransom.
The group is believed to have ties to the Lapsus$ cybercrime syndicate and has been observed leveraging advanced AWS privilege escalation scripts, often using legitimate cloud tools to move laterally and evade detection while harvesting data. Cybersecurity experts say this marks a dangerous shift in ransomware—from simple encryption attacks to deep exfiltration and multi-faceted extortion campaigns.
What’s Allegedly Leaked From Nintendo?
The leaked screenshot circulated by Crimson Collective shows folders with names suggesting the presence of production assets, developer project files, test environment builds, and critical internal backups. Some are speculating that if authentic, this breach could result in:
- Leaked prototypes or early builds for upcoming games, possibly related to Switch 2 development
- Source code and documentation for in-progress hardware or software
- Private keys, credentials, and developer tools that could impact Nintendo’s wider security posture
- Backup data that might reveal unreleased projects or confidential partner information
However, with no independent confirmation yet, the leaked folders could be faked to amplify the group’s reputation. Nintendo’s silence is notable but consistent, as the company historically refrains from comment during ongoing cyber incidents.
Why Industry Experts Are Concerned
The context for this breach casts a long shadow. Nintendo endured several major data leaks between 2018 and 2020, culminating in the ‘Gigaleak’ where source code from Pokémon, Zelda, Super Mario, and more surfaced online, exposing unused assets and unreleased concepts. Security analysts now warn that Nintendo and partners could face renewed data privacy, intellectual property, and competitive risks if the Crimson Collective’s claims are substantiated. Hackers have also reportedly targeted prominent gaming partners like Game Freak in previous incidents, indicating long-standing gaps in industry cybersecurity hygiene.
Pattern of Extortion and Tactics
| Target | Date Disclosed | Claimed Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat | Oct 2025 | 570GB of private repos, authentication keys, customer data. Ransom demand followed by leak threat. |
| Claro Colombia | Sep 2025 | 50M customer invoices, internal financial files, developer repositories. |
| Nintendo | Oct 2025 | Screenshots of internal folders leaked. Alleged production assets and developer backups (unverified). |
What Comes Next?
For now, the gaming industry watches for three outcomes: further validation of the breach via additional proof-of-hack files or the emergence of credible leaks, an official statement (or expected silence) from Nintendo, and signs that criminal groups like Crimson Collective are moving to ransom, dump, or attempt to sell the data.
Previous breaches like the Rockstar Games GTA 6 leak and Capcom’s 2020 ransomware attack show that no company—however secretive—can completely prevent motivated attackers from exfiltrating internal data once perimeter defenses are bypassed. If the Crimson Collective’s claim is real, the consequences could stretch from Switch 2 hardware spoilers and game prototypes surfacing online to permanent damage to Nintendo’s legendary reputation for secrecy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Crimson Collective?
A ransomware and extortion hacking group first spotted in 2025, known for high-profile breaches of companies like Red Hat and now reportedly Nintendo. The group specializes in exfiltrating large volumes of internal data, then demanding ransom payments in exchange for not leaking or selling the files.
What evidence is there that Nintendo was hacked?
Crimson Collective shared a screenshot of directories allegedly from Nintendo’s internal servers, showing folders labeled with names suggesting production assets, developer tools, and backups. However, external cybersecurity experts have not yet verified the authenticity of the files.
Has Nintendo confirmed a breach?
No, Nintendo has not yet issued a statement about the alleged breach, consistent with its usual practice during ongoing security investigations.
What could be leaked if the breach is real?
Potential impacts include unreleased game prototypes, internal design docs, development kits or tools, backup data, and confidential partner information. Speculation also surrounds possible Switch 2 details.
Is customer/player data at risk?
So far, the hack appears focused on internal development files, not user-facing account or payment data. There is no evidence at this stage that Nintendo’s consumer databases were accessed.
How does this compare to the ‘Gigaleak’?
The 2020 Gigaleak involved a major leak of classic game source code and internal tools. If the Crimson Collective’s breach is genuine, it could be the biggest cyberattack since then, with the added twist that a known ransomware group may seek extortion or broader data exposure.
The Bottom Line
The Crimson Collective’s claim of hacking Nintendo follows a rapidly shifting cybercriminal landscape where extortionist groups target major corporations for data and leverage public leaks or ransom threats to achieve their goals. Whether this claim proves authentic or a publicity stunt remains to be seen, but the incident is a stark reminder to the entire industry that even the world’s biggest, most secretive game companies can fall victim to motivated, organized hacking teams if they let their guard down.