Man convicted of selling hacked Nintendo Switch with pirated games - first such incident in Japanese history

In January of this year, a resident of Ibaraki Prefecture was arrested on suspicion of violating the Japanese Trademark Law. Now, according to NTV News, the Kochi District Court has found 58-year-old Fumihiro Otobe guilty.

Here's What We Know

Otobe was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 500,000 yen (USD 3,500).

Otobe, a transport worker from Ryūgasaki, was accused of buying up used Switch consoles, installing modified parts on their boards, and selling them online for 28,000 yen (US$179) each. He was also accused of installing 27 pirated games on each console.

At his initial arraignment in January, Otobe pleaded guilty and reportedly said: "I was wondering if I would be considered cool if I sold modified consoles."

While there have been arrests for selling modified consoles elsewhere in the world, Otobe's case is special because, according to NTV, it is the first time that anyone has been arrested for such an offence in Nintendo's native Japan.

There have been numerous similar cases in North America, most notably the arrest of Gary Bowser, who was subsequently sentenced to 40 months in prison for his role in similar activities.

Bowser was released from prison in 2023 after being convicted of being part of the Team-Xecuter hacker group, which in 2013 began creating and selling circumvention devices that allowed users to play illegal ROMs on consoles including the Switch and 3DS.

According to the US government, Team-Xecuter's criminal activity generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue and caused losses of up to $150 million.

Source: NTV