Man Arrested For Selling Modified Zelda Game Files
A Chinese man living in Japan has reportedly been arrested for hacking The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and selling modified game files. While modding game files are commonplace in the dev community, Japan has been clamping down on those who make money from the trend and slapping violators with more than just a fine.
For gamers, the thrill of the chase is completing a game to the best of your potential. However, for those that want a leg-up, modding save files for a little boost is a popular hack. Need some improved stats, a better arsenal, or unique perks? Modded save files can be your ticket to the stop.
Why was someone arrested for selling modified game save files?
Click to enlargeOriginally shared by the Broadcasting System of Niigata, the report explains how a 27-year-old has been arrested for selling an "ultimate" version of the record-breaking 2017 game. According to the site, he was directly violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act - which led to his arrest.
Tokyo man Ichimin Sho was arrested on July 8. He'd apparently listed his "ultimate save data" for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild on an auction site in April. The Niigata Prefecture Police arrested Sho and claim he admitted to making over “10 million yen” from his save files. This equates to around $90k/£65k.
The original listing for "ultimate" Breath of the Wild included improved player stats and hard to obtain items out of the box. It definitely sounds like your quest for the Master Sword, toppling Ganondorf, and saving Hyrule wouldn't be that hard. Deputy Director Okazawa of the Cybercrime Countermeasures Division of the Niigata Prefectural Police reiterated, "Modification of save data should not be done in violation, and I would like to ask you not to purchase the data".
Are modified game save files a problem?
Click to enlargeSho's arrest comes after a similar incident just months ago. In February, a 23-year-old in Japan was arrested for modding Pokemon Sword and Shield to give shiny starter Pokemon. Asahi Shimbun said a Gen 8 Trainer from Nagoya City had made around $10k/£7k from selling a shiny Sobble. It might've looked beautiful, but it landed him in some serious trouble.
It seems Nintendo is at the forefront of cracking down on players selling hacked games. Considering the House that Mario built is so defensive of its IPs anyway, is this really any surprise? The moral of the story is, avoid trying to make money off selling cracked versions of Pokemon, Mario, and Zelda games. Don't say we didn't warn you!