Punishment for Nintendo ‘Hacker’ Gary Bowser extends to his lifetime

Gary Bowser, a member of the hacking group Team Xecuter, was sentenced to 40 months in prison in February 2022 for his involvement in running a business that earned over $300,000, making him a long-time target of Nintendo’s legal team. However, Bowser is about to be released and sent home to Canada thanks to time already served and good behavior in prison. On the eve of his departure, he sat down for an interview to discuss his imprisonment and impending freedom.

While Bowser will be released, he will be punished for the rest of his life. He was ordered to pay Nintendo $10 million in damages at the time of his sentencing, and given the magnitude of this amount, he will likely never be able to make good on it. Nintendo can take 25-30% of his income for the rest of his working life, which they have already started doing. While he was in prison, Bowser was able to work a job and make payments of only $175.

Bowser confessed to being the “salesman” for Team Xecuter and reportedly made $320,000 over seven years of work. He was one of two men arrested in connection with the hacking group, while the other, French citizen Max Louarn, allegedly the leader of the operation, has so far avoided deportation to the US to face charges. Team Xecuter was known for developing and selling illegal devices that enabled players to run pirated games on Nintendo consoles.