Nintendo is notorious for its firm stance against those that use its IP and hardware for their own gain, like modders and hackers, but Nintendo is also quick to takedown fan projects that use its iconic franchises, ROM websites that host its games, and content creators that don’t adhere to its guidelines. According to leaked documents from 2013, it appears Nintendo will go to extreme lengths when it catches wind of someone abusing its property.
Documents obtained by Nintendo leaker Eclipse on Twitter detail an investigation Nintendo launched against 3DS hacker Neimod in 2013, which seems to include monitoring the hacker’s activity and schedule. In the document, dubbed a “Hacker Enforcement Proposal,” Nintendo details Neimod’s typical workweek, friends and visitors to his home, and additional activities.
The document also details some of Neimod’s experience as a computer programmer and hardware architect, as well as why Neimod is a “priority target” in the first place. While there is an eerie amount of detail in regards to Neimod’s daily life in the document, Nintendo’s primary intent seems to have been hiring Neimod to identify exploitable weaknesses in the 3DS in exchange for “bounties.” Offering bounties to identify issues is a common tactic for many Silicon Valley tech companies, so it isn’t outrageous to see Nintendo do that here.
The document goes on to outline a plan for making contact with Neimod, and making a “mutually beneficial” arrangement with the hacker. Nintendo explains some of the bargaining chips it has to earn Neimod’s compliance, including things like prototype Nintendo hardware or “unique/rare hardware items not sold on the market.” Of course, the document also explains some potential legal courses that Nintendo could take if Neimod were to decide not to comply.
One of the final things included in the document is a detailed plan for visiting Neimod in person, which involved a non-aggressive team making contact and possibly taking the hacker to a restaurant or coffee shop to talk. Essentially, the document is entirely aimed at determining Neimod’s lifestyle, then detailing various contingencies depending on whether or not Neimod complied with Nintendo.
While all of this might sound spooky – and to some degree, it is – it isn’t all that uncommon for a company to take an active interest in those that are modifying its hardware without consent. Nintendo could pursue a long legal battle with any hacker if it desired, though choosing to try and recruit them instead does seem like something out of a legal drama rather than the video game industry.
Source: DualShockers
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