Nintendo is actively pursuing legal action to uncover the identity behind the significant "FreakLeak" or "TeraLeak" Pokemon data breach from last year. The company has filed a request for a subpoena in a California court, aiming to compel Discord to disclose personal details of the user known as "GameFreakOUT". This user allegedly shared sensitive Pokemon-related content, including copyright-protected artwork, characters, source code, and other materials, on a Discord server named "FreakLeak" in October. This content subsequently spread across the internet.
Though not officially confirmed, the leaked materials are believed to stem from a data breach disclosed by Game Freak in August, which came to light in October. This breach compromised the personal information of 2,606 current, former, and contract employees. Interestingly, the leaked files surfaced online on October 12, with Game Freak issuing a statement the following day, backdated to October 10, which focused solely on the employee data breach without mentioning other confidential company materials.
The "FreakLeak" revealed a treasure trove of information, including unannounced projects, cut content, background details, and early builds of various Pokemon games. Among the leaks were details about "Pokemon Champions", a battle-centric game officially announced in February, and "Pokemon Legends: Z-A", with some of its information later verified as accurate. Other leaks included source code for DS Pokemon titles, meeting summaries, and previously unseen lore from "Pokemon Legends: Arceus" and other titles, along with hints about the next generation of Pokemon.
While Nintendo has yet to initiate legal proceedings against any specific hacker or leaker, the subpoena request indicates a strong intent to identify and potentially take legal action against the person behind the "FreakLeak". Given Nintendo's history of aggressive legal action against piracy and patent infringement, should the subpoena be granted, further legal steps seem likely.
