Nintendo Seeks Discord User Data in Pokemon "TeraLeak" Probe

Nintendo has taken legal action by requesting a subpoena from a California court aimed at compelling Discord to disclose the identity of the individual behind the significant Pokemon leak dubbed the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak." According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo seeks to obtain the name, address, phone number, and email address of the Discord user known as "GameFreakOUT." This user is alleged to have shared copyright-protected Pokemon artwork, characters, source code, and other materials on the "FreakLeak" Discord server last October, which subsequently spread widely across the internet.

Although not officially confirmed, the leaked content is believed to have originated from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, which occurred back in August. This breach involved the 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 was released the following day but was dated back to October 10. This statement, however, only mentioned employee information and did not reference any confidential company materials.

The materials leaked included details on several unannounced projects, cut content, background information, and early builds of various Pokemon games. A significant revelation from the leak was information about Pokemon Champions, a battle-focused game that was officially announced in February. Additionally, the leak disclosed details about the upcoming Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which have since been verified, along with unconfirmed information about the next generation of Pokemon, source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and cut lore from Pokemon Legends: Arceus and other games.

While Nintendo has not yet initiated legal action against any specific hacker or leaker, the subpoena suggests a proactive approach to identifying the individual responsible. Known for its stringent legal stance on issues ranging from piracy to patent infringement, Nintendo's pursuit of this subpoena indicates a likely intention to pursue further legal action should the court grant the request.