Japanese authorities have arrested a 23-year-old man who was charged with hacking and selling save data for Pokémon Sword and Shield. According to a report from Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, via Serebii, police say the man earned about $10,900 from altering and selling copies of Sword and Shield.
The man reportedly sold a hacked Sobble last April and received 4,400 yen (around $41) for it. The suspect admitted to the charges.
The Pokémon Company recently cracked down on Pokémon hackers. In January, the company put players with “illegally modified data” on notice. This included players that had been adding new Pokémon to Sword and Shield. The Pokémon Company said it would penalize cheating players by limiting features like access to Pokémon Home.
Pokémon hackers have been testing the limits of what they can get away with for years. The company banned a wave of cheaters from Pokémon Sun and Moon from online services back in 2017.
There are currently no details on what the fine or any additional punishments will be, but under Japan’s Unfair Competition Protection Law the editing and distribution of save data is illegal.
