A Japanese man in his mid-30s was arrested for alleged manipulation Pokémon Purple Save data to sell rare monsters online to interested buyers.
As reported by automat (via Japanese public broadcaster NHK News), the suspect, 36-year-old interior designer Yoshihiro Yamakawa from Uji City in Kyoto, was arrested by police on April 9. After a “police cyber patrol” operation, police claimed to have found evidence that Yamakawa had used a special tool to illegally modify Pokémon Purple Save data. This tool allowed him to fulfill customer requests, such as changing a creature’s colors or making monsters that were difficult to raise easier to handle. The Pokémon Extortion occurred between December 2022 and March 2023, with Yamakawa reportedly earning 13,000 yen ($84) per sale. Sometimes he even offered deals and sold six modified examples Pokémon Purple Monster for 4,000 yen ($30).
Yamakawa, per automatAccording to the translation of the police report, the officer confessed to the crime and said he did it to “earn a living.” According to police, investigations are currently underway. Police reportedly discovered that the tool Yamakawa used was free to download. However, you should not look for it if you are in Japan as using it is against the country’s regulations Law to prevent unfair competition of 2019, which prohibits the editing and sale of protected data online or in person.
Because Yamakawa is suspected of violating this law, he faces up to five years in prison, fines of over five million yen (over $32,600), or both.
My city has reached out to Nintendo for comment.
Pokémon Purple was launched alongside its sister title Scarlet feverin November 2022. The games were criticized as unusual Yanks by critics and fans alike and is one of the worst rated Pokémon games recently. Developer Game Freak is currently working on a new one Pokémon Title, Legends: ZAthat needs trainers the Kalos regionthe same attitude as 2013 Pokémon And Y. We hope this Nintendo Switch exclusive will be in better condition in 2025.
