Tokyo Man Arrested for Selling Modified Zelda Save Files

There are a lot of ways to cheat at video games. And while generally frowned upon, some methods are more unacceptable than others. One Japanese man has been arrested for selling modified save files of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

According to a report by BSN News (thanks GI.Biz and Dextero), the police in Japan detained a 27-year-old Tokyo resident on July 8 for violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Law. The law, which protects a companys products from recreation or reproduction, forbids the sale of video game save files.

The save files in question were sold on an online auction website. They were listed as the ultimate save data, including high level player abilities, rare items, and even an option to customize how the file will be modified.

This isnt the only game that they offered this service for. The seller confessed to having made nearly ten million yen by selling save files for various games. Each save file would sell for about ¥3,500 (about $30 USD).

While theres no confirmation about Nintendo being directly involved in this persons discovery and arrest, it wouldnt surprise us much. The Japanese game company has a strong history of being very protective of their products, taking legal action whenever needed.

This just goes to show: if you ever try to make money off a Nintendo-owned property, be ready for the worst when they find out about you.