Switch hacker released from prison, but must pay Nintendo compensation for life

According to VGC , hacker Gary Bowser was released from prison earlier than his three-year sentence. He was a key member of a hacking group previously convicted for creating and selling devices that allowed users to play illegal copies of games on the Switch and 3DS.

In February 2022, Bowser was sentenced to 40 months in prison for participating in a hacking group called Team-Xecuter. This group, which began operating in 2013, primarily created and sold cheating devices that allowed users to play pirated game ROMs on both Nintendo Switch and 3DS consoles.

Nintendo Switch hacker released from prison early.

In an interview on gaming blogger Nick Moses' podcast, Bowser stated that he was released from federal prison at the end of March and is currently at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, where he is undergoing processing before returning to Canada.

However, Bowser will have to serve the remainder of the sentence, in which he is ordered to pay $14.5 million in damages, including a mandatory $10 million payment to Nintendo.

In the interview, Bowser stated that he has currently paid $175, money earned from work while in prison. However, upon his release, the hacker will have to begin paying a portion of his total monthly income to Nintendo.

"Under the agreement with Nintendo, the maximum amount they can recover is 25% to 30% of my total monthly income," Bowser said. To fully pay Nintendo under this agreement, Bowser would have to earn at least $40 million before taxes. Bowser is now 53 years old, so it's highly likely he won't be able to pay off the debt and will have to compensate Nintendo for the rest of his life.

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