{"id":87685,"date":"2020-10-03T22:49:21","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T22:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gamerant.com\/xecuter-video-game-piracy-arrest-charges\/"},"modified":"2020-10-03T22:49:21","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T22:49:21","slug":"members-of-xecuter-video-game-piracy-group-arrested-and-charged","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2020\/10\/03\/members-of-xecuter-video-game-piracy-group-arrested-and-charged\/","title":{"rendered":"Members of Xecuter Video Game Piracy Group Arrested and Charged"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Piracy is considered a problem in the video game industry,\u00a0like with most commercial media. While there have been conflicting reports on how much piracy affects video game sales, the fact remains that there are torrents and downloads available for many\u00a0games, which may\u00a0harm smaller, independent developers at the very least<\/a>. In a small win for the game development industry, the FBI have apprehended two members of one of the most notorious video game piracy groups, known as Team Xecuter.<\/p>\n

Team Xecuter is known for creating exploits that allow the loading of pirated software onto platforms like the Nintendo Switch with devices like the\u00a0SX line of\u00a0USBs. In May of this year, Nintendo filed a lawsuit and injunction against sites that sold Team Xecuter\u2019s hardware<\/a>. However,\u00a0that did not\u00a0completely stopped the group, and it continued to make and sell products based on Nintendo property.<\/p>\n

RELATED: No Evidence of Piracy Affecting Video Game Sales, Says Report<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the same week\u00a0where\u00a0Nintendo won the aforementioned lawsuit<\/a> and received \u00a32 million in damages, it was announced that two prominent members of Team Xecuter were arrested by the FBI last month. French national Max Louarn, 48, and Canadian national Gary Bowser, 51, are being charged with 11 felony counts each, including:<\/p>\n

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\u201cConspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to circumvent technological measures and to traffic in circumvention devices, trafficking in circumvention devices, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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According to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Louarn and Bowser were both leaders of Team Xecuter, which \u201ccloaked its illegal activity with a purported desire to support gaming enthusiasts who wanted to design their own videogames for noncommercial use.\u201d The DOJ says\u00a0Team Xecuter\u2019s main goal was to make a profit off of selling hardware that enabled piracy on game consoles such the\u00a0Nintendo Switch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Former Nintendo of America President and International Video Game Hall of Fame Inductee\u00a0Reggie Fils-Aime<\/a>\u00a0commented on the story via Twitter. He made\u00a0a joking remark to current President Doug Bowser, who bears no relation to Gary Bowser \u2014 now under investigation by both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n