List of leaks

A leak is a revelation of information about a game that has been released prematurely, especially without prior permission to release such information.

SSB64 and Melee leaks

Due to the lack of a developed infrastructure in the Internet prior to their releases and a general lack of hype or interest, neither Super Smash Bros. nor Super Smash Bros. Melee had leaks of notable proportions prior to their release.

Brawl leaks

The significantly more developed Internet of 2007, however, made supposed leaks for Super Smash Bros. Brawl more common, particularly in the pre-release hype. The reliability of leaks, however, were invariably sketchy, with supposed contents of leaks sometimes being radically different than what the game actually contained. An example of a "leak" occurred on the Bionicle-themed BZPower Forums; the poster, claiming to have a friend working for Nintendo, divulged information regarding the game, such as claiming characters like Geno from Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Sora from Kingdom Hearts were playable, as well as claims that Ness would have an "overhauled" moveset; while some claims were correct (such as the inclusion of a "Wind Waker Link" to an extent), the claims proved to be wildly inaccurate for a Nintendo employee member. Upon Brawl's release in Japan in late January 2008, leaks could then cross-checked with the actual game; in addition, actual screenshots and videos of the game provided considerable information to players outside of Japan, most of which had not yet been revealed by the DOJO!!.