Nintendo Seeks Discord User Data in Pokemon "TeraLeak" Probe

Nintendo is currently seeking a subpoena from a California court to compel Discord to disclose the identity of the individual behind the significant Pokemon leak referred to as the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak". According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo wants Discord to reveal the name, address, phone number, and email address of the user known as "GameFreakOUT". This user allegedly posted copyright-protected artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related materials to a Discord server named "FreakLeak" last October, which subsequently spread across the internet.

While not officially confirmed, the leaked materials are believed to have originated from a data breach that Game Freak disclosed in October, which had occurred in August. The breach compromised the personal information of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, and Game Freak's statement was released the following day, retroactively dated to October 10. This statement only mentioned the employee data breach and did not reference any confidential company materials beyond that.

The "FreakLeak" included information on several unannounced projects, cut content, background details, and early builds of various Pokemon games. Notably, it revealed details about "Pokemon Champions", an upcoming battle-focused Pokemon game, before its official announcement in February. It also included accurate information about the forthcoming "Pokemon Legends: Z-A", alongside unverified details about the next generation of Pokemon, source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and excised lore from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" and other games.

Although Nintendo has not yet filed a lawsuit against any hackers or leakers in relation to this incident, the pursuit of this subpoena suggests they are actively seeking to identify the responsible party. Given Nintendo's historical tendency to be highly litigious over issues like piracy and patent infringement, should the subpoena be granted, legal action may soon follow.