Japanese Man Arrested for Selling Hacked Pokemon

A Japanese man has been arrested for selling hacked Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Asashi.com reports that a 23-year old man from Nagoya was arrested for illegally re-writing save data on Pokemon Sword and Shield and then selling the hacked Pokmon to other players. Per the police report, the man was first flagged for selling the Pokemon Sobble for 4,400 yen (approximately $42) to an office worker back in April 2020. The police believes that he earned approximately 1.15 million yen (about $11,000) selling hacked Pokemon to customers. The man was arrested for violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, a Japanese law that, among other things, makes it illegal to modify save data on video games or sell modified game data to others.

The arrest comes just weeks after The Pokemon Company announced it was cracking down on hackers and cheaters with a ban wave in Pokemon Sword and Shield, which prevents them from accessing the game's online features. That ban wave also targets hacked save data, which allows players to create Pokemon that shouldn't be in the game, or forcibly create Max Raids featuring Legendary Pokemon or Shiny Pokemon. Notably, Pokemon Sword and Shield's most recent ban also prevents players from accessing many of Pokemon Home's features, limiting their ability to make online trades on that platform as well.

The Pokemon Company has big plans for its 25th anniversary celebrations, which is set to begin later this month. The franchise has already announced a collaboration with pop star Katy Perry, and has plans to release special anniversary cards later this year. In addition to New Pokemon Snap, The Pokemon Company is also rumored to release a new Pokemon game for its 25th anniversary - likely a remake of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Other collaborations are also planned, such as a new line of clothing by Levi's.