Modified save data from The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild has landed a fan in police custody after attempting to sell them online.
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The 27-year-old was detained in Japan after illegally produced Breath Of The Wild save files listed on an auction site in April were found to belong to him.
Tampering with save files is not always a criminal offence, but Japan has been implementing far stricter rules in recent years, leading to several incidents. For example, a man was sent to jail earlier in the year for hacking Pokémon Sword And Shield, selling Shiny Pokémon online.
The Breath Of The Wild save data contained numerous cheats, and was described by the man as “the ultimate save data”. It included maxed-out stats and upgraded and rare items, customisable to the player’s preference.
According to Dexerto, he had already made approximately $90,800 at the time of his arrest. Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention Act was passed two years ago and is the reasoning behind the arrest.
A recent glitch found in Breath Of The Wild allowed players to attain the Master Sword far earlier than normal. As one of the only indestructible weapons in the game, the sword advances gameplay significantly.
Breath Of The Wild released alongside the Nintendo Switch in March 2017. Nintendo also released the game on Wii U, which it was originally announced for.
Breath Of The Wild has maintained a level of popularity amongst speed-runners and glitches as a result of its emergent game design. The game has several mechanics and systems, which all interact with one another, allowing players to find unusual and creative exploits.