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Nintendo says 300,000 accounts breached after hack
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An attendee uses a Nintendo Switch game console while playing a video game at the Paris Games Week (PGW), a trade fair for video games in Paris, France, on October 29, 2019. (REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)
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apanese gaming giant Nintendo has admitted that hackers have breached 300,000 accounts since early April, gaining access to personal information such as birthdays and email addresses but not credit-card details.
An initial hack in April compromised 160,000 accounts and a further 140,000 breaches have been discovered since then, the Kyoto-based firm said in a statement released late Tuesday.
"We deeply apologise for causing trouble and worries to customers," Nintendo said in its statement, pledging to "enhance security... to prevent this happening again."
Read also: Nintendo smashes Switch sales view, says Animal Crossing is device's fastest-selling game
Hackers broke into Nintendo Network IDs, intended for services on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and then migrated to Nintendo Accounts, which can be used for purchases at the company's official online store.
Fraudulent purchases from hacked Nintendo Accounts represented only a fraction of total sales, the company said, and it vowed to reimburse victims if it had not already done so.
Nintendo has been enjoying a strong showing from its popular Switch console and blockbuster games including "Animal Crossing", with demand fuelled by players stuck at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.
