Nintendo Lawyers Want to Force Discord to Reveal Pokémon Teraleak Source

Nintendo is taking a firm stance against the unauthorized release of sensitive information from its Pokémon games. The company's lawyers have filed a request to subpoena Discord, where the massive "Teraleak" data leak occurred in October 2024, seeking details on the alleged culprit behind the breach.

The Teraleak was a monumental leak of Pokémon game data that stunned the gaming community, revealing previously unseen development details, beta versions of past Pokémon games, and information about cancelled projects. The leak was facilitated by a user named GameFreakOUT on Discord, who shared vast amounts of confidential material from Game Freak's own servers.

Nintendo's legal request to Discord seeks to reveal the identity and personal details of GameFreakOUT, alleging that they were responsible for posting "confidential materials not released to the public" on the platform. However, it remains unclear if GameFreakOUT is indeed the person who hacked Game Freak's servers and obtained the data in the first place.

Game Freak had quietly acknowledged days before the leak that unauthorized access to its servers had been obtained by a third party, putting employee information at risk. The company has since secured the server and strengthened its security measures.

This incident is not an isolated case for Nintendo. In 2023, the company sought a similar subpoena to obtain details of a user who leaked information from a then-published Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom art book. And in 2021, two Pokémon fans faced severe consequences after leaking details of Pokémon Sword and Shield via images taken from a strategy guide.

The implications of this lawsuit are significant, as it suggests that Nintendo will be relentless in pursuing those who compromise its intellectual property. If Discord is forced to divulge GameFreakOUT's details, it is likely that Nintendo will pursue similar legal action against any other parties involved.