Nintendo has always been the company to show no mercy to hackers abusing their systems. Nintendo has stomped down on two Switch hackers from the group named Team Xecuter, and they have been arrested by the United States Department. This case was, and still is, being investigated by the FBI and HSI.
The hackers
The notorious hacking group Team Xecuter has been around for a while. The two hackers in question are Max Louarn and Gary Bowser, the supposed leaders of the hacking team. For clarification, the arrest was on charges of enabling massive piracy of games on systems including the Switch, 3DS, and more. According to the Department of Justice, these two people were “leaders of a notorious international criminal group that reaped illegal profits for years by pirating video game technology of U.S. companies.”
Both of these Switch hackers were overseas during the time of arrest, but were arrested abroad regardless. Louarn was in France, and Bowser was in the Dominican Republic. It goes to show that it doesn’t matter how far away these people can be from each other to produce their products.
The charges were no joke either, consisting of “…11 felony counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to circumvent technological measures and to traffic in circumvention devices, trafficking in circumvention devices, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.”
An example of a basic hack, emulating an older Nintendo console.
This news is a sign that Nintendo, much like the past, stomps down hard on piracy. With this situation, it’s obvious Nintendo is sending a statement: Don’t mess around with our items illegally and try to profit or you will face the consequences. The company certainly wants to focus on making the Switch better, but Nintendo also prides itself on keeping the rules in check.
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