A hacker named Gary Bowser, who was involved in a hacking group called Team Xecuter, has been ordered to pay Nintendo a significant portion of his salary for the remainder of his life.
This posed a significant problem for Nintendo, as it undermined their business model.
Bowser's hacking activities targeted the popular gaming console, Nintendo Switch. His actions involved creating mod chips, cartridges, and jailbreaking software, allowing users to access and use games for free.
In 2020, Bowser was arrested for his involvement in the hacking group, and the following year, he pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges related to selling hacking tools for the Nintendo console.
As a result, he was sentenced to 40 months in prison in the United States and was ordered to pay $14.5 million in restitution to Nintendo.
However, Bowser was granted early release in 2023 due to his age, health issues, and Canadian citizenship.
At the time of his release, his debt amounted to $10 million. In an interview, Bowser mentioned that he had reached an agreement with Nintendo, allowing the company to deduct between 25% to 30% of his monthly gross income to repay the debt.
"The agreement with them is that the maximum they can take is between 25 to 30 percent of your monthly gross income. And I have, like, six months before I have to start making payments," he said.
This agreement implies that Bowser will be making payments to Nintendo for the rest of his life.
Out of the three members in the group, Bowser was the only one to go through a trial and be found guilty in the United States.
The second member, who was from China, was never captured by the authorities, and the third member couldn't be sent to the US due to legal restrictions.
Initially, Bowser faced 11 serious criminal charges for his role, including wire fraud, planning to bypass technological safeguards, selling devices that bypass security measures, and conspiring to launder money.
Although he expressed relief that he wouldn't have to worry about the $4.5 million fine after returning to Canada, it is evident that the repayment process will be a long-term commitment for him.
Because Bowser has only paid a small part of what he owes, and his salary will continue to be reduced, he will likely have to keep giving money to Nintendo for an unlimited amount of time.
