Nintendo is taking legal action to uncover the identity behind last year's massive Pokemon leak, dubbed the "FreakLeak" or the "TeraLeak." The company is seeking a subpoena from a California court that, if approved, would compel Discord to disclose the personal information of the user known as "GameFreakOUT." This includes their name, address, phone number, and email address.
According to court documents reported by Polygon, GameFreakOUT allegedly posted copyright-protected Pokemon materials, such as artwork, characters, source code, and other content, to a Discord server named "FreakLeak" last October. These materials quickly spread across the internet.
While not officially confirmed, the leaked materials are believed to have stemmed from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October, which occurred in August. The breach compromised the names of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, and Game Freak's statement, backdated to October 10, was released the following day, focusing solely on employee data and not mentioning other confidential company materials.
The "FreakLeak" revealed a treasure trove of unannounced projects, cut content, and insider information, including early builds of various Pokemon games. Among the leaks was information about Pokemon Champions, a battle-focused game announced in February, and details about Pokemon Legends: Z-A that have since been verified. The leak also included unverified information on 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 pursuit of this subpoena suggests they are actively seeking to identify the individual responsible. Given Nintendo's history of aggressive legal action against piracy and patent infringement, it is likely that legal proceedings will follow if the subpoena is granted.
