A 36-year-old man named Yoshihiro Yamakawa was arrested by Japanese police for illegally tampering with save data for Nintendo Switch games such as Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. He used this altered data to create custom characters that he then sold on an online gaming marketplace. Yamakawa was caught in the act of taking orders for hard-to-train and rare monsters, offering deals like “6 Pokémon for only $30” on the platform where he sold game assets.

Yamakawa’s actions were in violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, leading to his arrest by cyber patrol officers. In a similar case from 2021 involving Pokémon Sword and Shield, Japanese police arrested another individual for illegally altering save data, highlighting the ongoing issue of hacking in popular games like Pokémon. Yamakawa allegedly made significant profits from selling his custom monsters, with the police suspecting that his total earnings could reach millions of yen. Despite confessing to the charges, he claimed that he engaged in these activities to earn a living, emphasizing the lucrative nature of selling rare Pokémon on the black market.

The demand for rare and custom Pokémon characters underscores the obsession players have with collecting and battling monsters in games like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The case involving Yamakawa sheds light on the prevalence of cheating and hacking in online gaming communities, prompting stricter measures from companies like The Pokémon Company to crack down on such activities. As investigations into Yamakawa’s illegal actions continue, authorities are working to determine the full extent of his profits and the impact of his activities on the gaming community.

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