New 'Pokémon' game leaks 11 days early

One intrepid Instagrammer known as Kosthedin snapped his first day's progress, while select retailers have let "Pokémon X" and "Pokémon Y" jump the gun, and Nintendo has countered with a takedown and an official trailer.

One intrepid Instagrammer known as Kosthedin snapped his first day's progress, while select retailers have let 'Pokémon X' and 'Pokémon Y' jump the gun, and Nintendo has countered with a takedown and an official trailer.

Fan message boards implicated Canadian and Italian stores as the origins of discreet street date breaches, where smaller retailers either did not appreciate the importance of the coordinated October 12 launch, or chose to ignore it.

Best Buy's Canadian games retail arm Futureshop further reinforced suspicions by listing two Pokémon bundles for immediate expedited delivery or near-instant in-store reservation and pickup.

Of course, street date breaches aren't unheard of, though their severity is rarely this advanced.

For instance, 'Grand Theft Auto V' dropped three days early in France after one Parisian shop told its Facebook followers to 'come now,' queues then forming out the door; a handful of individuals in the US used local listings sites to offload collector's editions over the same weekend.

In comparison, this 'Pokémon' leak comes nearly two weeks ahead of time, with the potential to puncture carefully timed marketing efforts, players releasing info according to their own whims and desires.

For Nintendo and developer GameFreak, 'Pokémon X' and 'Pokémon Y' mark the first time in the series' 18-year, 22-game history that the two have orchestrated a simultaneous worldwide release.

Previously, Pokémon games hit Japan first, with internationals waiting up to 2.5 years typical in the series' first years, 6 months or less in more recent times.

Not only that, but 'X & Y' are the first entries created only for Nintendo 3DS, after even 2012's 'Pokémon Black 2' and 'Pokémon White 2' adopted a format compatible with the older Nintendo DS.

So it's with great anticipation that the October 12 launch grows near, supported by Nintendo's provision of the less expensive Nintendo 2DS handheld for younger and more budget-conscious fans, alongside two special edition Pokémon-themed 3DS units.

And for fans who can't wait to indulge themselves on a glut of Pokémon information prior to release, there are now two reliable sources: images from Kosthedin's redacted account and other Instagrammers and streamers who are springing up to take his place, and Nintendo's crafted drip-feed, which issued a trailer for well-known character Charizard and its two new forms available in 'Pokémon X & Y.'