Nintendo Seeks Discord User Data in Pokemon "TeraLeak" Probe

Nintendo is seeking a court order from a California court to compel Discord to disclose the personal information of an individual allegedly involved in last year's significant Pokémon leak, referred to as the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak." According to documents reviewed by Polygon, Nintendo aims to obtain details such as the name, address, phone number, and email address of a Discord user identified as "GameFreakOUT."

It is alleged that in October, this user posted copyrighted materials, including artwork, characters, source code, and other assets related to Pokémon, onto a Discord server named "FreakLeak," leading to widespread distribution across the internet. While unconfirmed, these materials are believed to have been acquired through a data breach in August, which Game Freak publicly acknowledged the following October. The breach reportedly involved unauthorized access to records of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees.

Despite the timing discrepancy between when the leaks surfaced and Game Freak's public acknowledgment, the leaked files contained extensive undisclosed project details, removed content, and preliminary versions of several Pokémon games. Among the revelations was the existence of Pokémon Champions, an upcoming battle-centric game, prior to its official announcement in February. Additionally, information about Pokémon Legends: Z-A was verified, along with speculative data regarding future generations of Pokémon, DS-era source code, meeting notes, and omitted lore from Pokémon Legends: Arceus and other titles.

Although no legal action has been taken against a suspected hacker or leaker thus far, the issuance of the subpoena suggests Nintendo's intent to identify the responsible party. Known for aggressive litigation against piracy and intellectual property violations, if the subpoena is approved, it may merely be a precursor to further legal proceedings.