Leader of Video Game Hacking Group Sentenced to 40 Months

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington imposed a 40-month sentence upon Gary W. Bowser, one of the leaders of the Team Xecuter criminal enterprise, which created and sold console-hacking software and devices used to play pirated Nintendo Switch games.

Nintendo appreciates the hard work and tireless efforts of federal prosecutors and law enforcement agencies to curb illegal activities on a global scale that cause serious harm to Nintendo and the video game industry. In particular, Nintendo would like to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime & Intellectual Property Section and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for their significant contribution and assistance.

For more information about Nintendo visit, https://www.nintendo.com/.

About Nintendo: Nintendo Co., Ltd., headquartered in Kyoto, Japan, has created franchises that have become household names worldwide, including Mario^™, Donkey Kong^™, The Legend of Zelda^™, Metroid^™, Pokémon^™, Animal Crossing^™, Pikmin^™ and Splatoon^™, through its integrated hardware and software products. Nintendo aims to deliver unique, intuitive entertainment experiences for everyone, manufacturing and marketing video game devices such as the Nintendo Switch^™ family of systems, developing and operating applications for smart devices, and collaborating with partners on a range of other entertainment initiatives like visual content and theme parks. Nintendo has sold more than 5.3 billion video games and over 800 million hardware units globally. From the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System^™ more than 30 years ago, through today and into the future, Nintendo’s continuing mission is to create unique entertainment that puts smiles on the faces of people all over the world. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Americas. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at https://www.nintendo.com/.