Nintendo is seeking a subpoena from a California court to compel Discord to disclose the identity of the individual behind the massive Pokemon leak dubbed the "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak". According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo aims to obtain the name, address, phone number, and email address of the Discord user "GameFreakOUT". This user is believed to have shared copyrighted artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related materials on the "FreakLeak" Discord server last October, leading to widespread online distribution.
While not officially confirmed, the leaked materials are thought to have originated from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, which involved 2,606 cases of current, former, and contract employee names being compromised. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, followed by Game Freak's statement the next day, which was dated back to October 10 but only mentioned the breach of employee information, not confidential company materials.
The "FreakLeak" exposed numerous unannounced projects, cut content, and other background information, including early builds of Pokemon games. It notably revealed details about the upcoming battle-focused game, Pokemon Champions, ahead of its official announcement in February. Additionally, it contained accurate information about Pokemon Legends: Z-A, along with unverified details about the next generation of Pokemon, source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and cut lore from Pokemon Legends: Arceus and other titles.
Although Nintendo has not yet filed a lawsuit against any hacker or leaker, the subpoena suggests they are actively seeking to identify the person responsible. Given Nintendo's history of aggressive legal action against piracy and patent infringement, a successful subpoena could lead to further legal proceedings.
