2024 has been a weird year for video game insiders. One user named ‘Midori’, who claimed to be a Japanese woman, confessed that he wasn’t a woman, nor Japanese, and lost all credibility overnight. Another popular leaker, who goes by the X (formerly Twitter) handle ‘Pyoro,’ also went dark after he revealed to one of the industry’s most prominent investigative journalists, Jason Schreier, that his source worked for Nintendo. In early June, I reported how YouTube employees were cashing in on their unrestricted access to private and unlisted videos to leak major video game announcements. It kickstarted another major investigation at Google, resulting in video game publishers across the industry, including Nintendo, implementing better processes ahead of their game announcements. And just last week, the gaming community was once again in an uproar about yet another baseless GTA 6 cancellation rumor, which was soon squashed.
The gaming leaks and rumors side of the industry continues to grow, and beyond just the stories and headlines, I often see many different questions surrounding how it all works. How does someone obtain and source insider information? Can that person be trusted with their reporting? Why do people leak to journalists or insiders? What are the ethics behind reporting? These are just a few of the questions I want to cover, and hopefully, by the end of reading, you’ll have a better understanding of how it all works.
First, let’s discuss the fundamentals of where information comes from, how it’s obtained, and how to know if someone is reliable.
Sources
When it comes to reporting leaks, there are three main types of sources. Jason Schreier has already done a fantastic breakdown of this on Reddit, but the TL;DR is that the three main types of sources are primary, secondary, and documentation.
- A Primary source has firsthand knowledge of the information they are disclosing to someone.
- A Secondary source has secondhand knowledge of the information they disclose to someone (for example, a source may say, “I heard X information about X company from X person“).
- Documentation includes images, video, audio, emails, etc., that can back up or prove disclosed information and is also considered a primary source.
Obtaining Information
Obtaining information happens in many different ways and has changed significantly from the traditional way of speaking to sources. Now, more than ever, more leaks and rumors tend to occur because of how easily accessible information is thanks to the internet and people’s capabilities and understanding of technology and social media.
We’re now in the ‘information age’, and if you know where to look and have the right skills, a lot of information that could be considered secret is easily accessible. These are the most common ways people use technology to obtain insider information, which would fall under ‘Documentation’ sourcing.
- Datamining game code
- Trademarks & Patents
- Casting calls & Job Listings
- Social Media Profiles (especially LinkedIn)
- JSON Sniffing (becoming increasingly popular)
As previously mentioned, the more “traditional” way of obtaining information is just by speaking to others. However, inaccurate or incomplete information usually originates here from insiders/reporters because of the lack of verification/corroboration between sources.
Reliability
Regarding rumors, leaks, and reports, the reliability of the person reporting the news is often a major topic of discussion and discourse. The /r/GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit has over 444,000 members and has even resorted to a ‘credibility list’ to determine the most reliable leakers, insiders, and reporters. But it’s a little more complex than just banding everyone under the same rules regarding credibility because of how the information is obtained.
Typically, a report from the most reputable reporters will rely on multiple primary sources and documentation to back up any claims. The number of sources needed for a report can vary depending on the reporter or outlet, but three to four sources for a scoop on a topic like a game cancellation, a new product, or industry layoffs is a good rule of thumb. For the more significant investigative stories, such as those about bad studio culture, a reporter could expect to speak to dozens of primary and secondary sources before a report is published. While this is arguably the cream of the crop when it comes to reporting, the reality is that it’s not 2004 anymore. Not everyone with insider knowledge is a journalist with training and a degree that follows the same rules and ethics.
Information is everywhere, and almost anyone can get ‘insider information’ with a few hours of research and some luck. This loops back to Documentation Sourcing, and while this information can usually be right on the money, it’s always worth considering where that information originated and whether it is consistent with that person’s past reporting. For example, if a Call of Duty dataminer leaks that GTA 6 has been delayed, ask yourself where did that information come from. Why did a source pick them to leak it to? Did they corroborate the information with other sources? Did they reach out to the publisher for comment/verification? Is anyone reputable corroborating the claim? That person might be 100% correct on Call of Duty info as they leak it via datamining, but such a big story on GTA 6 being delayed might be less believable.
Here are a few more examples of how to determine reliability:
Example: Microsoft is to lay off 650 employees. This is a recent story that I woke up to read in the morning; Stephen Totilo from Game File reported that approximately 650 employees from Microsoft’s gaming division will be losing their jobs.
I know that Totilo is a reputable journalist, and the information is almost certainly correct. However, I still checked my own emails and DMs to find that three primary sources, alongside two forwarded emails, have told me the same news. This story now has three primary sources and two documentation sources I’ve seen firsthand, which is enough for me to corroborate and independently verify Totilo’s report publicly.
Example: A Twitter account with no track record said GTA 6 has been delayed to 2026. This is a massive story, but how does this person know? Why is no one reputable verifying these claims?
This person has likely been lied to, lied themselves, or hasn’t verified the information with multiple people. Remember, if someone publicly claims they have the information from multiple sources, it’s almost a guarantee that they are not the only person with sources who have spoken out.
Example: Someone who leaks information through JSON Sniffing websites has leaked a new controller scheduled to be announced in five days. This person has a solid track record of doing similar reports in the past, so it’s very likely to be correct this time as well because the information is probably uploaded to the backend of a website somewhere for the announcement.
Why do People Leak to Insiders?
This is a pretty open-ended question that can have many different answers and get pretty complicated. The simple answer is that the source probably wants whatever information they are telling (or leaking) to the insider to go public. This can generally be harmless information, like a new game announcement, and is often shared between sources and insiders because of friendship. Conversely, someone could be leaking maliciously to hurt a specific person or company, and that is why corroboration between multiple sources is essential ethically and for an accurate report.
But generally speaking, regardless of any intentions, the sources trust the insider or reporter, be that because they are friends or trust their previous reporting.
Corroboration
Once again, most insiders get stuck and report incomplete or inaccurate information because they can not corroborate information between multiple sources. This is when the training and ethics of a reputable reporter may result in a potential story being left on the back burner until their particular requirements to run a story can be met. This can often mean that stories could take weeks or months to be reported on unless someone else with more sources or fewer standards reports on it first. It’s not uncommon for even some of the biggest stories to take well over six months because of the hundreds of emails, calls, etc., needed to ensure accurate information.
But, of course, the never-ending need to report on a story first isn’t a new concept. After all, the first to report on something is the most likely to get the most clicks and that all-important clout, right? This is where mistakes happen and the less experienced reporters/insiders end up with egg on their face after a more reputable reporter has done their own due diligence, or official information has been released. The need to be first has created a unique phenomenon that is becoming more prevalent in the industry, which I will call the “Insider Phenomenon.” This is where insiders end up falsely corroborating a story between themselves.
Remember earlier in the year when almost everyone with a podcast seemingly had inside knowledge about different first-party Xbox games coming to PlayStation? Yeah, that was the Insider Phenomenon. You see, we’re a community, and most insiders, journalists, podcasters, content creators etc. talk to each other behind the scenes, and because it’s not ethical to reveal sources, be that public or private, you can quickly see how inexperienced people can soon get a false sense of corroboration.
I won’t dive into the whole Xbox thing too much, but let’s just say, theoretically, an Xbox employee is disgruntled that the company is changing its strategy to bring its first-party games to PlayStation. That employee now leaks information to several different insiders, telling them different things in a flurry of frustration and with the intent to hurt the company. But, because those insiders do not have multiple sources, they speak to one another behind the scenes, quickly verifying information between themselves based on the same source.
Example: a disgruntled employee who doesn’t know the exact facts has leaked to five insiders, and “Insider 1” wants to be the first to report on it but has no other Xbox employees as sources to corroborate.
Disgruntled Employee (Primary Source) to Insider 1 – Hey, “Game 1” is coming to PlayStation.
Disgruntled Employee (Primary Source) to Insider 2 – Hey, “Game 1” is coming to PlayStation.
Disgruntled Employee (Primary Source) to Insider 3 – Hey, “Game 2” is coming to PlayStation.
Disgruntled Employee (Primary Source) to Insider 4 – Hey, “Game 1” + Game 2 is coming to PlayStation.
Disgruntled Employee (Primary Source) to Insider 5 – Hey, “Game 1” + Game 2 + Game 3 is coming to PlayStation.
Insider 1 (Secondary Source) to Insider 2 (Secondary Source) – Have you heard “Game 1” is coming to PlayStation?
Insider 2 (Secondary Source) to Insider 1 (Secondary Source) – Yes!
Insider 1 (Secondary Source) to Insider 3 (Secondary Source) – Have you heard “Game 1” is coming to PlayStation?
Insider 3 (Secondary Source) to Insider 1 (Secondary Source) – No, but weirdly I heard about “Game 2”.
Insider 1 (Secondary Source) to Insider 2 (Secondary Source) – Have you heard “Game 1” is coming to PlayStation?
Insider 4 (Secondary Source) to Insider 1 (Secondary Source) – Yes, have you?!
Insider 1 (Secondary Source) to Insider 2 (Secondary Source) – Have you heard “Game 1” is coming to PlayStation?
Insider 2 (Secondary Source) to Insider 5 (Secondary Source) – Yes, I also heard about “Game 2” and “Game 3”
You can see how Insider 1 got a false sense of corroboration, verifying claims with three Secondary Sources that all come from the same Primary Source. In this example, Insider 5 may have also corroborated with Insider 3 and Insider 4 on Game 2, giving them a sense that Game 3 is also correct, which they can be the first to report on it. While this is a very basic example, it shows how quickly things can spiral out of control and why the correct ways of corroborating a story are needed.
Educated Guesses
In recent years, it’s become increasingly common to see people passing off educated guesses as leaks or insider information. Usually, this information is a ways away from being officially announced, so ask yourself: Does that person know about a specific product or game that is coming, or is it just an incredibly vague and educated guess? What specific information have they given to back up their claims if it does come to fruition? How much do they fall back on “things change”, or brag about it when they get right?
You see, it’s not difficult to pass off an educated guess as a leak these days. So, for fun, visit our community forum and give us five educated guesses of things that you think will happen in the next two years (but don’t worry—if it doesn’t happen, things change!). For example, Death Stranding 2 will be at The Game Awards in December ( a guess based on Geoff and Kojima’s love).
Conclusion
The gaming leaks and rumors scene is constantly changing. While the lines have been blurred between traditional journalists and insiders, it’s not too difficult to look from the outside in to determine whether someone is reliable or not. The truth is that information can now come from anywhere and anyone, but it takes a considerable amount of time to report on some of the industry’s biggest stories accurately.
Reports, tweets, and videos based on leaks will never go away; in fact, they will probably become more prevalent in the coming years, but it’s up to you on who to believe.
And remember, always take leaks with a pinch of salt!
Let us know in the comments or our new community forum!
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