The official English Pokémon X (formerly Twitter) account was briefly hijacked on Thursday, with unauthorized users utilizing the platform to promote a memecoin. The fraudulent posts claimed the cryptocurrency was tied to the franchise's upcoming 30th anniversary. The content was removed shortly after the breach was identified.
In a statement released following the incident, The Pokémon Company confirmed that the account had been accessed without authorization for roughly 30 minutes. The company clarified that the posts were neither created nor approved by their staff and that they have since secured the account to conduct a formal investigation into the security lapse. While the initial statement regarding the breach was later removed from the account, the company expressed regret for the confusion caused to followers.
Interestingly, the timing of the hack occurred during the ongoing Team Rocket Base event at the ZeroBase Shibuya venue in Tokyo. The event, which runs through August 31, features a takeover by the franchise's iconic villains, complete with their signature "R" branding. Despite the thematic overlap, The Pokémon Company has confirmed there is no connection between the real-world event and the digital security breach.
While the situation has been resolved, the incident serves as a reminder of the persistent security risks facing high-profile corporate social media accounts. It remains to be seen if additional security measures will be implemented to prevent future unauthorized access.
