Nintendo Sues Switch Hacker Gary Bowser

Switch Hacker Gary Bowser is feeling Nintendo’s hammer of judgment. As reported in Polygon, the big N are suing Gary Bowser for selling Switch hacking devices worldwide.

The 51-year-old Canadian felon leads a team of hack creators known as ‘Team Xecuter’. Both he and fellow ‘Xecuter’ Max Louarn were arrested and charged on 20 felony counts in 2020. Nintendo alleges in their lawsuit that Bowser infringed on their copyright by selling the Switch Hacks.

The group’s Switch Hack, SX Pro, allowed users to circumvent Nintendo’s security and run pirated Nintendo Switch games. Alongside this, Xecutor are also known for making Nintendo 3DS and NES Classic hacks that possess similar features.

Nintendo’s Friday lawsuit covers Gary Bowers’ hacking history, alleging that he has been designing such products since at least 2013. Nintendo is notorious for their crackdown on hackers, with efforts doubling in the past few years. In 2020, the company described the hacking trend as “a serious, worsening international problem.”

Team Xecuter are known for their development and selling of the SX Pro Switch Hack

Indeed, Friday’s lawsuit describes Gary Bowsers’ operation as continuing to “put more than 79 million Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite consoles at risk from piracy.” Many in the hacking community also chide Team Xecuter’s efforts, since they profit from identifying vulnerabilities in console hardware.

“I do strongly disagree with the idea of hiding software exploits and then releasing modchips that use (potentially obfuscated) versions of them,” said Kate Temkin of ReSwitched in 2018, “I think it’s both unethical—as it gives malicious actors a chance to pick up and use the vulnerabilities before they can be addressed or public knowledge can spread—and against the spirit of knowledge-exchange we want to see in the console-hacking community.”

We can only see what happens as this lawsuit plays out. Nintendo are seeking $2,500 for each trafficked device and $150,000 for each copyright violation. The endgame is to shut down Gary Bowser and Team Xecutor for good.

What do you think about Nintendo’s lawsuit? Share your thoughts in the comments below.