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Gary Bowser, who was part of a larger group creating and selling modchips for Nintendo consoles, has pled guilty to criminal charges and will pay Nintendo $4.5 million.
No developer likes someone creating ways for players to avoid having to pay for its games and consoles. However, Nintendo has a reputation for being somewhat next level when it comes to that sort of thing. Things were never going to end well for a group creating ways to hack and mod Nintendo consoles. One of its leading members Gary Bowser likely didn't realize just how badly the whole situation would get.
Bowser was arrested in September 2020 and faced some pretty serious charges. Charges that potentially come with decades in prison should he be found guilty. Rather than go to trial, Bowser has pled guilty to two of the charges brought against him, VGC reports. Trafficking in Circumvention Devices, and Conspiracy to Circumvent Technological Measures and to Traffic in Circumvention Devices.
Bowser has offered to pay Nintendo $4.5 million and also aid the search for other members of Team-Xecuter, the group he was a part of that created and distributed modchips for Nintendo consoles, most notably the Switch. However, despite the successful plea bargain, the judge overseeing the case has still warned Bowser that he could face jail time.
Bowser was a part of various groups creating modchips for more than seven years before his arrest last year. The chips allow those using them to play illegal ROMs on the Switch, as well as other consoles. Nintendo revealed that the newer Switch model created in 2018 rendered the chips useless, as did the Switch Lite after that. However, Bowser and his team created updated modchips, once again remaining a step ahead of Nintendo.
An argument over the right and wrong way to play Switch games was a hot topic last month shortly after the launch of Metroid Dread. Reports surfaced just days after the newest Metroid game arrived showing how well the game was being emulated on PC. That resulted in a heated online debate over whether the emulation of Switch games on PC is okay or not.