Hacker Gary Bowser has agreed to pay Nintendo $4.5 million USD, due to being part of a group selling Nintendo Switch modchips.

VGC reports Bowser was arrested in September 2020, for being part of the Team-Xecuter hacker group. They provided modchips under several websites, allowing users to play ROMs via Nintendo Switch, 3DS, PlayStation Mini, and SNES Mini. Bowser was in charge of one website, selling the devices and offering ROMs of over 13,600 games.

Nintendo stated in court that the newer model of the Nintendo Switch in 2018 included “updated technical measures to prevent the console from being hacked by the SX Pro and SX OS.” Both devices were the Xecuter modchips used for Nintendo Switch.

The Nintendo Switch Lite was also produced with measures to counteract  the SX Pro and SX OS. Xecuter counteracted this with SX Core and SX Lite for both the base and Lite models. Nintendo also pursued those selling Xecuter products, such as Tom Dilts Jr, taking down his website and paying $2 million USD to Nintendo in damages.

Bowser appeared in court in October with fellow Xecuter member Max Louarn, with Yuanning Chen still at large. Both were charged with 11 felony counts; including wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Facing up to 20 years in prison for the two latter charges alone, Bowser pled guilty to Trafficking in Circumvention Devices, and Conspiracy to Circumvent Technological Measures, and Traffic in Circumvention Devices. He also offered to pay $4.5 million, and to help find other members of Xecuter.

While the prosecution has waived all other charges, the judge warned Bowser could face prison time due to the two confessions, both seeing up to five years in prison. It is nigh-guaranteed Gary Bowser has no relation to Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser, as an estimated 20,500 people also have the surname Bowser.

In August of this year, Nintendo ordered the owner of a ROM and emulation website destroy all the game files, or face perjury charges.

Image: YouTube