Nintendo suing Switch hacker Gary Bowser Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Nintendo suing Switch hacker Gary Bowser Really. News by Wesley Yin-Poole Deputy Editorial Director Updated on 17 Apr 2021 50 comments Nintendo is suing a Switch hacker called Gary Bowser. As reported by Polygon, Nintendo of America filed a lawsuit against 51-year-old Canadian national Bowser, who is an alleged member of Switch hack creators Team Xecuter. That's right - president of Nintendo of America Doug Bowser is suing a Nintendo hacker called Gary Bowser. This is the battle of the Bowsers - in court. Watch on YouTube In October, the US government issued multiple federal charges against Bowser and alleged fellow Team Xecuter members Max Louarn, a 48-year old French national from Avignon, and Yuanning Chen, 35, from Shenzhen, China. Bowser is currently being held in custody on US soil after he was arrested and deported from the Dominican Republic in September. Louarn was arrested in Canada, from which the United States is seeking his extradition. Chen is still at large. It sounds like Nintendo is making the most of Gary Bowser's custody in the US. According to Polygon, the new lawsuit alleges Bowser infringed on Nintendo's copyright in creating and selling its hacks. The lawsuit is trying to charge Bowser with two trafficking counts and one copyright violation. Watch on YouTube Eurogamer news cast: the improvements the PS5 desperately needs Team Xecuter is perhaps best-known for selling Nintendo Switch modchips, but it's been operating for years, selling mod chips for consoles as far back as the original Xbox. There are over a dozen members of Team Xecuter around the world, including developers, website designers, suppliers who manufacture the devices and resellers. Team Xecuter used a variety of product names for its devices, such as the Gateway 3DS, the Stargate, the TrueBlue Mini, the Classic2Magic, and the SX line of devices that included the SX OS, the SX Pro, the SX Lite, and the SX Core. You may recognise the Gateway name. Back in 2014, Eurogamer reported that Gateway had been accused of allowing users' 3DS consoles to become irretrievably bricked by a secret "kill switch" it introduced in a recent update. Gateway had previously bemoaned the launch of copycat devices that used modified versions of its earlier code, but were repackaged and sold as separate products. In a June 2020 interview with TorrentFreak, Team Xecuter refuted the piracy stigma while accusing Nintendo of censorship, monopolistic control, and legal scare tactics. The Department of Justice noted Team Xecuter at times "cloaked its illegal activity with a purported desire to support gaming enthusiasts who wanted to design their own video games for noncommercial use", but it insisted the overwhelming demand and use for its devices was to play pirated video games. Polygon reports Nintendo wants damages of $2500 for each trafficked device, $150,000 for each copyright violation, and the complete shutdown of Bowser's operation. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store