A hacker named Bowser agrees to pay Nintendo $10 million to settle a civil piracy suit

A Canadian hacker named Gary Bowser (yes, like Mario’s nemesis) has agreed to pay the company $10 million to settle a civil piracy lawsuit. Bowser, who was part of Switch hacking group Team Xecuter, was accused of being part of a “cybercriminal enterprise that hacked leading gaming consoles,” as Eurogamer notes. Nintendo argued Bowser violated the company’s copyright and it seems the hacks were not in another castle.

News of the settlement emerged several weeks after Bowser pleaded guilty to multiple federal hacking charges. He was fined $4.5 million in that case and faces up to 10 years in prison. Bowser, who was arrested in the Dominican Republic in October 2020 and deported to the US, admitted to having “developed, manufactured, marketed, and sold a variety of circumvention devices” that let people play ROMs on consoles. 

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.