Nintendo is fighting with Discord to reveal the identity of the hacker behind the biggest Pokémon leak

Documents related to art, design, and development material for Pokémon have been released following the massive teraleak, prompting Nintendo to take legal action. The company has requested a court order from Discord to identify the user known as GameFreakOUT, the alleged hacker behind the leak. This individual is accused of having accessed confidential information from Game Freak, the developer of Pokémon, and of having shared a valuable treasure trove of content, which includes development sprites, concept art from the original 1997 anime, design lore, and meeting minutes from the company.

The hacker is praying that Discord does not grant

According to Polygon, Nintendo has filed a petition in a California court for a subpoena under the DMCA that would compel Discord to reveal the identity of GameFreakOUT, which could include name, address, and other contact information. This request marks a first step that could result in serious legal consequences for the leaker. Historically, Nintendo has shown to be very protective of its intellectual properties and has been willing to take legal action against those it believes have crossed the line.

The case of Gary Bowser, who was sentenced to three years in prison and fined millions for selling software to modify Nintendo consoles, illustrates the company’s firm stance on copyright issues. Although the consequences for GameFreakOUT are unlikely to be as severe, given that it has not financially benefited from the leak, the case could take a complicated turn if legal action is taken.

A previous case related to Pokémon leaks also resulted in a lawsuit, where the leakers were ordered to pay $150,000 each. Given the magnitude of the teraleak, it is very likely that Nintendo will seek a strong response to deter future similar incidents.

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