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Nintendo Hacker Gary Bowser Is Freed

• Jacob Chambers
• April 18th, 2023

Nintendo hacker Gary Bowser? Last February, he was sentenced to nearly three years in prison and fined close to $15 million for his role in Team Xecutor, a business that allowed Switch owners to hack their consoles and play pirated games.

The 51-year-old Canadian resident was released early from America’s federal jail owing to a good behavior bond and will return to Canada.

If Bowser finds a stable income in his hometown, Nintendo can seize “25 to 30 percent” of his gross monthly income to pay $10 million in damages. He’s paid $175.

Nintendo’s lawyer said the corporation wants to “send a message” to Switch hackers by paying this sum, which is unlikely:

“This is a very significant moment for us. It’s the purchase of video games that sustains Nintendo and the Nintendo ecosystem, and it is the games that make the people smile. It’s for that reason that we do all we can to prevent games on Nintendo systems from being stolen.”

Bowser allegedly sold Team Xecuter products and ran a website that reviewed them, earning $500 to $1000 per month. Team Executor supposedly gained millions of dollars, and Bowser earned roughly $320k over seven years.