Infamous Nintendo hacker Gary Bowser believes the company used him as an example, and says his prison sentence and fine are designed to send a message to others who cross the company in the future.
To quickly recap, Bowser was sentenced to 40 months in prison for the distribution and sale of piracy-enabling devices back in 2022. The Canadian programmer had worked as part of a larger hacking group known as Team Xecuter, which in turn made millions from the sale of devices which enabled pirated video games to be played on a number of Nintendo's consoles. At the time of his sentence, Bowser pleaded guilty and agreed to a $4.5m fine, as well as an additional $10m fine to settle Nintendo's own civil lawsuit against him.
Bowser was subsequently released from prison last year, however he will remain in debt to Nintendo for decades to come. In April, Bowser said Nintendo is now able to recoup 25-30 percent of his personal income for the rest of his working life.