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2 parts The intelligence units of video game developers
Video game companies' intelligence units.© Stéphane Oiry

Deep Dive | France, Japan, United States
The intelligence units of video game developers

Major players in the video game industry may like spy games, but they also love to use intelligence to track down hackers and leakers. So much so that, following several high-profile cases, gamers call these elite spies "Nintendo ninjas". At French company Ubisoft, the family-oriented corporate culture is gradually shifting towards such practices as clouds gather overhead.

2 partsThe intelligence units of video game developers
Video game companies' intelligence units.© Stéphane Oiry

The 'ninjas' at Nintendo, Sega and Sony who hunt down traitors and leaks

The major players in the video game industry use specialised units to track down pirates and traitors. The investigators working for the company that created Mario were exposed by a leak in 2020 and have been dubbed ‘Nintendo ninjas'.

Part 1 Video games and intelligence (1/2).
LogoSubscribers only Corporate Intel 16.04.2026
Part 1 Video games and intelligence (1/2).

Spy games giant Ubisoft fighting its own intelligence wars

Ubisoft may have recruited ex-soldiers, spies and hackers to feed the realism of its flagship franchises, from Ghost Recon to Watch Dogs, but the French video game maker is still lagging when it comes to managing its own security and corporate intelligence.

Part 2 Video games and intelligence (2/2).
LogoSubscribers only Corporate Intel, Cybersecurity 17.04.2026
Part 2 Video games and intelligence (2/2).

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