DRM News

Everyone has heard the countless stories of PC game piracy. However, you don’t tend to hear as frequently of pirated console titles. And while it’s probably not as common simply because it requires more work, it is out there.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii, while a smash hit for Nintendo, was also available on torrent sites as early as Nov. 6th of last year, according to Nintendo claims. One of the uploaders, who has reached a settlement with the game company, was James Burt of Queensland. As reported by Gamespot, Mr. Burt now owes The Big N a cool $1.5 million Australian in damages.

Unfortunately for Australian Wii gamers, the damages to their hobby could be quite severe as well.

"Nintendo Australia is always pushing for games to be released here at the same time as the rest of the world, so we were pleased to get New Super Mario Bros. Wii before anyone else," the spokesperson said. "Unfortunately, due to the actions of this individual, future release dates may be affected for Australia, which is disappointing for us."

New Super Mario Bros. Wii releasing locally around the same time as everywhere else was a somewhat rare treat for Australian gamers. Sadly, the actions of one man may put a severe dent in the chances of something similar happening in the near future, at least where Nintendo is concerned.