Nintendo Seeks Discord Subpoena in Pokemon "TeraLeak" Hunt

Nintendo is seeking a subpoena from a California court to compel Discord to disclose the identity of the individual behind the significant 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 the Discord user "GameFreakOUT." This user allegedly posted copyrighted Pokemon content, including artwork, characters, source code, and other materials, to a Discord server named "FreakLeak" last October. These materials subsequently spread widely across the internet.

Though not officially confirmed, the leaked content likely originated from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, which occurred in August. The breach involved the unauthorized access of 2,606 current, former, and contract employee names. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, and Game Freak's statement, backdated to October 10, appeared the following day, focusing solely on the employee data breach without mentioning other confidential materials.

The leaked materials revealed numerous unannounced projects, cut content, background information, and early builds of various Pokemon games. Notably, the leak disclosed details about "Pokemon Champions," a battle-focused game announced in February, and "Pokemon Legends: Z-A," with some information later confirmed to be accurate. The leak also included source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and cut lore from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" and other games.

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