Nintendo Seeks Discord User Data in 'TeraLeak' Probe

Nintendo is seeking a subpoena from a California court to compel Discord to reveal the identity of the individual behind last year's significant Pokemon leak, referred to as the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak." According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo wants Discord to disclose the name, address, phone number, and email address of the user known as "GameFreakOUT." In October of the previous year, GameFreakOUT allegedly shared copyrighted artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related materials on a Discord server named "FreakLeak," leading to their widespread distribution across the internet.

Although not officially confirmed, these materials were likely obtained through a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in August, with the announcement made in October. The breach compromised the names of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, followed by Game Freak's statement the next day, which was backdated to October 10 and only mentioned the breach of employee information, not other confidential company materials.

The leaked content included details about 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 announced in February, and details about "Pokemon Legends: Z-A," which have since been verified. The leaks also contained yet-to-be-confirmed information about the next Pokemon generation, source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and cut lore from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" and other games.

While Nintendo has not yet filed a lawsuit against any hacker or leaker, the pursuit of this subpoena suggests they are working to identify the person responsible, possibly with the intent to take legal action. Nintendo's history of aggressive litigation regarding piracy and patent infringement indicates that, should the subpoena be granted, further legal action may follow.