Hacking saved game files isn’t a huge deal to the eyes of most of the world. In Japan, however, it can lead to some serious repercussions. Such is the case of Ichimin Sho, a Tokyo resident, who was selling the “ultimate save data.” He apparently is getting slapped with detainment by police after selling the hacked save files.
The 27-year-old Breath of the Wild hacker was offering up his services to hack the game in any way the buyer wanted. This could include maxing out player stats to acquiring rare items. Per police, the young man admitted to selling a hefty 10 million yen (about $90,814) worth of hacked saves.
Sho had apparently been running this operation since 2019, asking for a 3,500 yen ($35) fee for his services. While to the rest of the world this may seem extreme, this isn’t quite a new thing.
Earlier this year, a 23-year-old Pokémon enthusiast had sold off a falsified shiny Sobble to another for 4,400 yen ($41). This led to the seller getting arrested and his whole operation toppling to the ground.
The reason behind the clamp down by Japanese police and associated companies is thanks to Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act. This Act was passed in 2019 and made things like what Sho and the Sword & Shield hacker doing illegal.
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