Pokémon Company warns Sword and Shield hackers that they’ll get banned

The Pokémon series has always had a hacking problem, thanks to programs that can generate monsters, but now, anyone who is playing with “illegally modified data” has been put on notice.

On the official Japanese page penned by The Pokémon Company you can now find a warning for hackers who are using their powers to cause “problems with the operation of software and applications or causing inconvenience to other users.” Folks who fall into that bucket can expect “restrictions” put on their games, including “exchange functions” and the inability to use supplements such as Pokémon Home.

Should that happen, The Pokémon Company says that users shouldn’t expect a refund, and that the company reserves the right to dole these punishments out “indefinitely.” The notice also says that The Pokémon Company might also dish out other measures not outlined in the post at their discretion.

“We will regularly monitor and respond to fraudulent and annoying acts so that our users can enjoy themselves with peace of mind,” the notice reads.

In the past, hackers have been able to modify things like raids, sometimes using their powers to insert monsters into the game that aren’t normally available. Many users choose to hack their monsters to have perfect stats, as breeding can be time-consuming — but it’s unclear if these players will be affected if they keep a low profile. In previous online Pokémon games, thousands of hackers have gotten banned for similar offenses.

“We are unable to respond to inquiries regarding fraudulent content and details of this response,” the post says.