Nintendo scores a 1st ever arrest for Switch Modding

A 58-year-old man named Fumihiro Otobe from Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, was arrested for selling modified Nintendo Switch consoles loaded with pirated games. This is the first arrest of its kind in Japan.

Otobe modified second-hand Switch consoles by soldering hardware components to their circuit boards, enabling them to play pirated games. As reported by NTV News and translated by Automaton, he sold these modified consoles for approximately ¥28,000 (around $180) each, with 27 pirated games pre-installed.

Upon his arrest, police found four modified consoles in his possession.

In a public statement, Fumihiro Otobe said:

I was curious to know whether people would think I was great if I sold modified consoles.

This significant development marks a turning point in Japan’s legal approach to video game console modifications, which have long been contentious due to concerns about piracy and copyright infringement.

For Nintendo, this is the first arrest of its kind in Japan. The arrest highlights increasing efforts by authorities to crack down on such activities and protect intellectual property rights, acknowledging that modded consoles are not legally sold in major retail stores worldwide.

Nintendo’s efforts are aimed at protecting the integrity of its intellectual property and ensuring that game developers and publishers can continue to innovate and create new games. The company cooperates with law enforcement worldwide to pursue legal actions against those involved in piracy.