Arrested Overwatch hacker in South Korea fined $10,000

South Korea passed a law near the end of 2016 criminalizing the creation and distribution of aimbots, wall hacks, and other software that isn't permitted by the terms of service of online games. Following a year-long investigation conducted by the Seoul Metropolitan Police that ran from January to December 2017, 13 Overwatch cheaters were arrested; two of them, according to a statement by Blizzard Korea (via Kotaku), have now been sentenced. 

The first offender was given two years of probation, with prison awaiting if he violates his terms. The second was hit with a fine of ₩10 million, which works out to about $9,300. It's a stiff punishment, but it could be worse. The maximum penalty allowed by law is $43,000, or five years of jail time. In a separate case in China, 15 people were recently fined $5.1 million for making and distributing cheats for PUBG, which works out to an average of $340,000 per person. 

Blizzard Korea said it is "committed to creating a fair game environment for its players, and will continue to strive to maintain a fair environment" for players.   

The remaining 11 cases are still under investigation. 

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.