Nintendo Subpoenas Discord to Identify User Behind Pokemon "TeraLeak"

May 01,25

Nintendo is seeking a subpoena from a California court that, if granted, would compel Discord to disclose the identity of the individual behind last year's significant Pokemon leak, dubbed the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak".

According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo aims to obtain a court order requiring Discord to reveal the name, address, phone number, and email address of the Discord user known as "GameFreakOUT". In October of last year, GameFreakOUT allegedly shared copyright-protected content, including artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related materials, in a Discord server named "FreakLeak". These materials were subsequently widely disseminated across the internet.

Although not officially confirmed, the leaked materials may have originated from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, following an incident in August. The breach compromised the data of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, while Game Freak's statement, dated October 10, was released the following day and only mentioned employee information, not other confidential company materials.

The leaked content included details about several unannounced projects, cut content, early builds of other Pokemon games, and background information. A notable revelation was "Pokemon Champions", a battle-focused game announced in February, and information about the upcoming "Pokemon Legends: Z-A", which has proven accurate. Other leaks included yet-to-be-verified details about the next generation of Pokemon, source code for various DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and excised lore from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" and other games.

Nintendo has not yet initiated legal action against any hackers or leakers involved, but the subpoena suggests an intent to identify and possibly pursue legal action against the individual responsible. Given Nintendo's history of aggressively litigating issues from piracy to patent infringement, a successful subpoena could lead to further legal action.

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