Pokémon Hacker Could Face 5 Years In Prison For Selling Modified Scarlet and Violet Game Data

A Japanese man was arrested for breaking the law by selling altered Pokémon and save data for the well-liked Nintendo Switch games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. This 36-year-old man reportedly used special tools to make rare and strong Pokémon, which he then sold online for as much as $90 each. He apparently earned a ton of money through these illegal sales happening from December 2022 to March 2023.

Upon being arrested, the man confessed to his actions, explaining that the desire for money drove him. As first reported by ACCS (and translated by Automation Media), Japanese authorities are investigating the case and suspect the individual might have made millions of yen from his illegal actions. While this sounds surprising, it’s actually against the law to do what he did. Offenders could be penalized with up to five years in jail and fines of over five million yen.

Japan implemented a new law in 2019 aiming to prevent unfair competition. The law focuses on stopping the manipulation and selling of game data for monetary gain. So, this puts the hacker on the wrong side of the law, leading to his arrest. While selling hacked Pokémon might not be explicitly against the law in some countries, it is a practice that is strongly discouraged.

Game developers, such as Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, are actively taking measures to prevent this kind of activity as it undermines the fairness and balance of their games. Is it enough to put someone in prison, though? It seems so because there’s an argument about whether suing someone for an amount they would make small payments toward (or filing for bankruptcy to avoid it) is at all effective.

 The act of hacking and manipulating game data in itself isn’t illegal; it’s the selling of it. In Japan, these activities are considered serious crimes. Furthermore, even in areas without specific laws addressing this issue, tampering with games goes against the terms of service and disturbs the authentic gaming experience for lawful players. This shows that there are real consequences to these activities.