South Korean Overwatch Hack Developer Receives One-Year Prison Sentence
A South Korean Overwatch hack developer has been sentenced to prison time for distributing illegal software.
A 28-year-old man has been sentenced to one year in prison and two years’ probation for selling Overwatch hacks, violating the Game Industry Promotion Law and Information and Communication Technology Protection Law.
According to South Korean media outlet SBS News, the hacker reportedly made 200 million won – nearly $180,000 – from selling hacks for the game.
The man is one of thirteen Overwatch hackers and match-fixers arrested in January. Two others have already been sentenced, with one receiving two years’ probation and the other a 10 million won fine. This most recent sentence is the most severe due to the extent of the hack distribution. The remaining ten are still awaiting sentencing.
Blizzard has been working with the Seoul National Police Agency to help catch hack developers, but it’s not just hackers they’re cracking down on. Blizzard has also been going to great lengths to limit all forms of bad behaviour in-game and encourage a positive environment, with a variety of in-game systems designed to do just that.
As well as attempting to catch and punish players for bad behaviour – everything from hacking to in-game “toxicity” – Blizzard is also now attempting positive encouragement for good behaviour, with a new system of “endorsements” that is currently being tested on the PTR.