Nintendo Subpoenas Discord to Identify User Behind Pokemon "TeraLeak"

Nintendo is taking legal action by requesting a subpoena from a California court to compel Discord to reveal the identity of the individual behind the massive Pokemon leak known as the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak." According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo aims to obtain the name, address, phone number, and email address of a Discord user named "GameFreakOUT," who allegedly posted copyrighted Pokemon content, including artwork, characters, source code, and other materials, to a Discord server called "FreakLeak" last October. These materials quickly spread across the internet.

Though not officially confirmed, the leaked content likely stemmed from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, which occurred in August. The breach involved unauthorized access to 2,606 cases of current, former, and contract employee names. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, while Game Freak's statement, backdated to October 10, was released the following day and only mentioned the employee data breach, omitting any mention of confidential company materials.

The "FreakLeak" exposed numerous unannounced projects, cut content, background information, and early builds of various Pokemon games. It notably revealed details about the upcoming battle-focused game, Pokemon Champions, before its official announcement in February. The leak also included accurate information about Pokemon Legends: Z-A, along with unverified details about the next Pokemon generation, source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and cut lore from Pokemon Legends: Arceus and other games.

Although Nintendo has not yet filed a lawsuit against any hacker or leaker, the subpoena request suggests they are actively seeking to identify the person responsible. Given Nintendo's history of aggressive litigation over issues ranging from piracy to patent infringement, it's likely that legal action will follow if the subpoena is granted.