A Pokémon Sword and Shield player and the hacker has been arrested in Japan. The player was caught out selling modded monsters to domestic and international buyers leading to his arrest. So not only does hacked Pokémon violate Nintendo’s ToS, but it also violates Japanese law.
According to a report from the Asahi Shimbun, a 23-year-old man was accused of violating the country’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act by selling a modded Sobble. There were likely other sales that caused Nintendo and authorities to investigate, but here we are. According to reports, the man had modified the monster and then sold it to a Kyoto buyer for 4,400 yen (~$42).
According to the release from the police, the hacker has allegedly earned 1,150,000 yen (around $10,900) from selling these items across the globe over the past year.
This practice of selling stuff by modifying game data violates the Unfair Competition Prevention Act. The prefectural police had arrested the man this week and seized the PC and other equipment he used to make and sell the modified items. These hacked Pokémon are not that uncommon, so this could become a more common story soon.
The report comes as gamers all over the world have engaged in Real Money Trading (RMT) with hackers and modders to buy stuff in Nintendo games. Pokémon Sword and Shield and Animal Crossing: New Horizons have thriving markets for hacked items in those games, as players are willing to pay for a quick path to the stuff they want.
Source: asahi.com, via kotaku.com
