Nintendo has taken legal action by requesting a subpoena from a California court aimed at uncovering the identity of the individual responsible for last year's significant Pokemon leak, referred to as the "FreakLeak" or the "TeraLeak". According to court documents reported by Polygon, Nintendo seeks to compel Discord to reveal the personal details of a user known as "GameFreakOUT", including their name, address, phone number, and email address. In October of the previous year, GameFreakOUT allegedly shared copyright-protected content such as artwork, characters, source code, and other Pokemon-related materials on a Discord server named "FreakLeak", which subsequently spread widely across the internet.
While not officially confirmed, it is believed that these materials stemmed from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, which occurred in August. The breach compromised information on 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, with Game Freak's statement following the next day but dated back to October 10. This statement, however, did not mention the breach of confidential company materials beyond employee data.
The leaks exposed a range of unannounced projects, cut content, and other insider information, including early builds of various Pokemon games. Among the revelations was Pokemon Champions, a battle-centric game announced officially in February after the leak. Additionally, accurate details about Pokemon Legends: Z-A were disclosed, along with unverified information about the next Pokemon generation, source code from DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and omitted lore from Pokemon Legends: Arceus and other titles.
Although Nintendo has not yet initiated legal proceedings against the hacker or leaker, the subpoena suggests a strong intent to identify and possibly sue the individual behind the leak. Known for its aggressive legal stance on issues like piracy and patent infringement, Nintendo is likely to pursue further action if the subpoena is granted.
