Nintendo Seeks Discord Subpoena in Pokemon "TeraLeak" Probe

Nintendo is seeking a subpoena from a California court, which, if granted, would compel Discord to disclose the identity of the individual behind last year's extensive Pokemon leak, referred to as the "FreakLeak" or the "TeraLeak". According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo aims 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 artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related materials on a Discord server named "FreakLeak" last October, leading to widespread distribution across the internet.

Although not officially confirmed, the leaked materials are believed to have originated from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, following the breach in August. Game Freak reported that the breach compromised the names of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, and Game Freak's statement, which was backdated to October 10, appeared the following day without mentioning any confidential company materials beyond employee information.

The leaked content included details about numerous unannounced projects, cut content, background information, and early builds of various Pokemon games. Notably, the leak revealed information about "Pokemon Champions", a battle-focused game announced in February, and "Pokemon Legends: Z-A", with some details later confirmed to be accurate. The leak also contained unverified 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 hacker or leaker, the subpoena suggests they are actively seeking to identify the person responsible. Given Nintendo's history of aggressively pursuing legal action against piracy and patent infringement, it is likely that further legal steps will follow if the subpoena is granted.