Nintendo Subpoenas Discord to Identify User Behind Pokemon "TeraLeak"

Nintendo is actively pursuing legal action in a California court to identify the individual behind the significant Pokemon data leak known as the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak". The company is seeking a subpoena that would compel Discord to disclose the personal details of a user known as "GameFreakOUT". This user is suspected of posting copyrighted artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related materials to a Discord server named "FreakLeak" last October. These materials were subsequently shared widely across the internet.

Though not officially confirmed, the leaked content is believed to have originated from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, following the unauthorized access of 2,606 current, former, and contract employee records in August. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, with Game Freak's statement appearing the next day, backdated to October 10, and focusing only on the employee data breach without mentioning any other confidential materials.

The materials leaked included details about unannounced projects, cut content, early builds of other Pokemon games, and more. Among the revelations was 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 included yet-to-be-verified information about the next generation of Pokemon, source code for various DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and cut lore from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" and other titles.

While Nintendo has not yet initiated a lawsuit against the hacker or leaker, the pursuit of this subpoena suggests they are intent on uncovering the identity of the person responsible. Given Nintendo's history of aggressively pursuing legal action against piracy and patent infringement, obtaining the subpoena could be a precursor to further legal proceedings.