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Overwatch hacker jailed by South Korean court

28-year-old man made $180,000 from illegal programme

A 28-year-old man who created a Overwatch hack programme has been jailed, reports SBS News (and translated by Dot Esports).

The hacker had violated South Korea's Game Industry Promotion Law and Information and Communication Technology Protection Law, and receives a one-year prison sentence and two years of probation. It is a harsher punishment than previous offenders due to the $180,000 he had raised from the programme.

Two other Overwatch hackers were sentenced earlier this year, one received two years probation and another was fined around $10,000. 10 further hackers and match-fixers are awaiting sentencing. The maximum sentence for the crime is two years in jail and a $18,000 fine. Blizzard has been working with the Seoul National Police Agency to catch illegal programme developers.

Due to the scale of esports in South Korea, hacking, match-fixing and boosting is a serious problem. Blizzard has placed significant security measures against its titles in an effort to limit the impact.

Author
Christopher Dring avatar

Christopher Dring

Head of Games B2B

Chris is a 17-year media veteran specialising in the business of video games. And, erm, Doctor Who