Nintendo Seeks Discord Subpoena in Pokemon "TeraLeak" Probe

Nintendo is actively seeking a subpoena from a California court, aiming to compel Discord to disclose the identity of the individual behind the significant "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak" Pokemon leak from last year. Court documents obtained and reported by Polygon reveal that Nintendo is requesting Discord to provide the name, address, phone number, and email address of the user known as "GameFreakOUT." This user allegedly posted copyright-protected Pokemon content, including artwork, characters, source code, and other materials, to the "FreakLeak" Discord server last October, leading to widespread distribution across the internet.

While not officially confirmed, it is believed that the leaked materials originated from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, following the incident in August. Game Freak reported that the breach compromised the data of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, with Game Freak's statement following the next day, albeit backdated to October 10, and only mentioning the exposure of employee information without reference to other confidential materials.

The "FreakLeak" included details on numerous unannounced projects, cut content, background information, and early builds of various Pokemon games. Among the revelations was information about "Pokemon Champions," a battle-focused game officially announced in February, and "Pokemon Legends: Z-A," with some details already verified. The leak also contained unverified information on the next Pokemon generation, source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and excised lore from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" and other titles.

Although Nintendo has yet to file a lawsuit against any hacker or leaker, the pursuit of this subpoena suggests an intent to identify and potentially take legal action against the person responsible. Nintendo's history of vigorous legal action against piracy and patent infringement indicates that, should the subpoena be granted, legal proceedings may soon follow.