Nintendo Subpoenas Discord to Identify 'TeraLeak' Leaker

Nintendo is seeking a subpoena from a California court to compel Discord to disclose the identity of the individual behind the significant Pokemon leak dubbed the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak" that occurred last year. According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo aims to obtain the name, address, phone number, and email address of a Discord user known as "GameFreakOUT". This user allegedly posted copyrighted materials, including artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related content, to a Discord server named "FreakLeak" in October. These materials subsequently spread across the internet.

Although not officially confirmed, the leaked content may have stemmed from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, following the breach in August. This 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, backdated to October 10, was released the following day, focusing solely on the employee data breach without mentioning other confidential materials.

The leaked materials revealed numerous unannounced projects, cut content, and other background details, including early builds of various Pokemon games. Notably, the leak exposed information about "Pokemon Champions," a battle-focused game officially announced in February, and "Pokemon Legends: Z-A," whose details have been verified. Additionally, the leak included yet-to-be-confirmed information on the next Pokemon generation, source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and omitted lore from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" and other titles.

While Nintendo has not yet initiated legal action against any hacker or leaker, the subpoena suggests an intent to identify and potentially sue the person responsible. Given Nintendo's history of aggressively pursuing legal action against piracy and patent infringement, a successful subpoena could lead to further legal proceedings.