Nintendo Requests Subpoena of Discord to Track Down User Behind Last Year's Pokemon \"TeraLeak\"

The individual in question is known on Discord as "GameFreakOUT." Allegedly, this user shared copyrighted assets—such as artwork, character designs, source code, and internal documents—on a server called "FreakLeak" last October. The content quickly spread across the internet, causing widespread attention within the Pokémon fan community and beyond.

While not officially confirmed, it's believed that the materials originated from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in October of the previous year, though the timeline raises some questions. According to Game Freak’s public statement, 2,606 employee records were accessed during the breach, which reportedly occurred in August. However, leaked files started appearing online on October 12, with the company’s official response published the next day but dated back to October 10. Notably, the statement did not specify whether sensitive project files were among the compromised data.

Among the most notable contents of the leak were details about previously unannounced games such as Pokémon Champions, which was later officially revealed in February. Additionally, the leak contained accurate pre-release details about Pokémon Legends: Z-A and speculative data about the upcoming ninth generation of Pokémon. Other items included early builds of various Pokémon titles, unused game lore, meeting summaries, and source code for several DS-era Pokémon games.

Nintendo has not yet filed a lawsuit against the alleged leaker. However, the pursuit of this subpoena suggests that the company is actively working to identify the individual behind the leak, likely with the intent to take legal action. Given Nintendo’s long-standing reputation for aggressively defending its intellectual property rights—from piracy cases to patent disputes—it wouldn’t be surprising if formal legal proceedings follow once the identity of "GameFreakOUT" is uncovered. [ttpp]