Summary
A person sellingPokemon Sunhacked saves has been arrested by the police in Japan. The move may surprise some fans of the series, butPokemon Sunis far from the first game that’s been hacked, and it’s not even the first to have arrests connected to illegally modifying the games, either.
Modding game datahas been around for nearly as long as gaming itself, with varying levels of scrutiny from developers and publishers. Some games readily encourage their fanbases to modify their titles, like Bethesda, while others are much more stringent and don’t want any changes made to their games outside of official releases. However, it’s when people start trying to sell modified game data that things become particularly problematic.
Such is the case for a 32-year-old in Japan who was recently arrested for selling modified copies ofPokemon Sunfor the 3DS. According toTBS News, viaAutomaton-Media, the seller had put offers up online for save data for the game, offering “over 800 Pokemon” in the listings. The investigators found that numerouslimited Pokemonwere included in the offer, like those that could have only been acquired by attending events in-person, which created suspicion. After tracking down the seller, the investigators confirmed with Nintendo that the ROMs had indeed been tampered with.
What’s Next for the Alleged Poke-Criminal?
ThePokemon Sunhacker in question could be held guilty in contempt of Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act, which carries with it a potential five year prison sentence and up to a $33,000 USD fine. While it might seem shocking in the west, modifiedPokemongame save sellers have been arrested in the past, with the same potential for jail time. The same situation happened earlier in 2024, when aPokemon Scarlet and Violetsave seller was arrested.
At the moment, it looks like an open-and-shut case, as the perpetrator has allegedly admitted to the crime. However, the police are still investigating additional charges, so they may end up spending more time behind bars or have a higher fee to face when everything is said and done. While there’s no way to know how many - if any - sales were completed, the unnamed offender was reportedly selling thePokemon Sunhacked savesfor just $35 USD. Needless to say, any profit generated from the sales is surely not worth the time and money that this person is now likely to lose behind bars.
Pokémon Sun
WHERE TO PLAY
Pokemon Sun is one-half of the seventh generation of mainline Pokemon games, with the other being Pokemon Moon. In this adventure, players were sent to the region of Alola. This release was notable for not having Gym Leader battles but instead featured Trials that players had to overcome.
