Genshin Impact goes to war against leakers, sues Discord to find leaker's real identity

Genshin Impact 2.8 promo with Kazuha, Fischl, Mona, and Xinyan
(Image credit: miHoYo)

It looks like Genshin Impact publisher Cognosphere is going after one of the game's biggest leakers: As reported by TorrentFreak, lawyers representing the company have filed a DMCA subpoena demanding that Discord provide it with the real identity of the person known online as Ubatcha.

Ubatcha is one of Genshin Impact's best-known leakers, with more than 465,000 followers on Twitter. They're also a reliable presence on the Genshin Impact Leaks subreddit, and administer the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Discord server, which has more than 272,000 members. 

That's where the infringing content was posted, according to the first filing, and as a result Cognosphere lawyers are asking that Discord be ordered "to disclose the identity, including the name(s), address(es), telephone number(s), and email address(es) of the user Ubatcha#2719, who is responsible for posting infringing content."

The second filing also notes that "the information obtained will be used only for the purposes of protecting the rights granted to Cognosphere under the Copyright Act." That covers a lot of ground, including legal action, which is something Cognosphere, as MiHoYo, hasn't been shy about doing in the past. 

In September 2021, for instance, MiHoYo filed suit against Chinese video sharing platform (and Twitch equivalent) Bilibili in order to discover the identities of 11 different leakers; two months later, it sued seven of them for ¥500,000 ($71,000) each. MiHoYo also filed legal action in September 2021 that forced the takedown of popular Genshin Impact wiki Honey Hunter.

This latest legal action comes less than two months after a massive Genshin Impact leak revealed up to nine months of updates planned for the game. As GamesRadar noted, the leak was so big and wide-ranging that many prominent leakers, including Ubatcha, disavowed it. That doesn't appear to have done him much good, though: Given the timing, and its past history with leakers, it seems very unlikely that Cognosphere is pursuing Ubatcha's real identity so it can send him a Christmas card.

Discord will almost certainly comply with the request when it's received—lawsuits like this are typically a formality to ensure that everyone involved is meeting their legal and contractual obligations—after which Ubatcha will be revealed and Cognosphere can go after them as it sees fit. At a bare minimum, it seems likely that Ubatcha's leaks will come to a halt; but a broader chilling effect on Genshin Impact leaks is another potential outcome. I've reached out to Cognosphere for comment on the matter, and will update if I receive a reply.

TOPICS
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
Genshin Impact 5.0 codes - Murata
FTC says Genshin Impact 'deceived children' and orders its publisher to pay a $20 million fine and stop selling loot boxes to kids
talk to the joneses fortnite
Epic's war against the Fortnite fraudsters sees it simultaneously name and shame alleged ne'er-do-wells as its high-powered lawyers sue them
Possibility Space concept art.
Possibility Space owners sue NetEase for $900 million over allegations it spread 'false and defamatory rumors' of fraud at the studio that ultimately forced it to close
Alisaie, a headstrong ally in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, looks skeptically while standing in the middle of a beautiful blue forest.
Yoshi-P says FF14 team is 'discussing' options to fight mod that can be used for stalking, like 'legal action' and, uh, asking them to stop
Alisaie, a side character in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, folds her arms with a confident smirk on her face.
Final Fantasy 14 communities panic as it turns out change to blacklisting, meant to help reduce stalking, also lets players use mods to track their alts
Dark and Darker image - guy in a suit of armor polishing some silver
Dark and Darker developer did not commit copyright infringement, court rules, but has to pay Nexon nearly $6 million anyway
Latest in RPG
A screenshot from SaGa Frontier 2, showing one of the protagonists wandering through a quaint fantasy village
One of Square Enix' most underrated PlayStation-era JRPGs just shadow dropped on Steam
kingdom come: deliverance 2 henry looks confused
'Medieval Batman' completes Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 pacifist playthrough with zero kills and 535 knockouts
The Huntress holding a bloody spear.
The biggest update since Path of Exile 2's early access launch is coming next week, bringing a new class and a bunch of endgame changes
Key art for the Ranger class in Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile 2 director isn't worried about ARPG competition, in part thanks to seasons: 'So long as people are willing to come back and play our game for a month four times a year, then I'm good'
Wuk Lamat, a character in Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, stares in an unimpressed manner.
'I can't really say what they were thinking' says whistleblowing modder, as Final Fantasy 14's attempt to thwart stalkers falls terribly short of the mark
Raidou Kuzonoha and pals, looking like they've about to drop the most fire single of the 1930s
Raidou Remastered is finally bringing the historical Shin Megami Tensei supernatural sleuth spinoff to PC this June
Latest in News
A screenshot from SaGa Frontier 2, showing one of the protagonists wandering through a quaint fantasy village
One of Square Enix' most underrated PlayStation-era JRPGs just shadow dropped on Steam
The titular character from Princess Mononoke is depicted riding the wolf goddess Moro and carrying a spear.
Studio Ghibli AI image trend floods social media, cheered on by OpenAI and denounced by critics as an insult to Hayao Miyazaki
Marvel Rivals tier list - Wolverine
Marvel Rivals director says a future patch will reduce the shooter's insatiable hunger for RAM: 'It's a very big problem'
Hogwarts Legacy potions professor holding a potion
An unannounced Hogwarts Legacy expansion and 'definitive edition' have reportedly been cancelled
Story of Seasons - A cahacter in a purple tuxedo stands outside in a town square talking to the player
Story of Seasons is doing another Harvest Moon remake and it might be the best the series has ever looked
Assassin's Creed Shadows change seasons - An upper-body shot of Yasuke looking cheerfully up into the distance.
Assassin's Creed Shadows puts up the 'second highest day-one sales revenue in Assassin's Creed franchise history'