Nintendo Requests Subpoena of Discord to Track Down User Behind Last Year's Pokemon \"TeraLeak\"

Nintendo has taken legal action by requesting a subpoena from a California court to identify the individual behind last year's significant Pokemon leak, dubbed the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak." According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo aims to compel Discord to disclose the personal details—including the name, address, phone number, and email address—of a user known as "GameFreakOUT." This user allegedly shared copyright-protected materials such as artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related content in a Discord server called "FreakLeak" last October. These materials quickly spread across the internet.

While not officially confirmed, it's believed that these materials stemmed from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, which originally occurred in August. The breach compromised data of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, and Game Freak's statement, backdated to October 10, appeared the following day but only mentioned the employee data breach without referencing other confidential company materials.

The "FreakLeak" revealed a plethora of unannounced projects, cut content, and early builds of Pokemon games. Among the leaks were details about "Pokemon Champions," an upcoming battle-focused game announced in February, and "Pokemon Legends: Z-A," with information that has since been verified. The leak also included yet-to-be-confirmed 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 and potentially pursue legal action against the person responsible. Given Nintendo's history of aggressively tackling issues like piracy and patent infringement, if the subpoena is granted, it may lead to further legal action.