Nintendo Cracks Down On Switch Emulation, Retro Gamers Be Warned

Nintendo is trying to crack down on the number of Switch emulators that are around at the moment, and it could have big ramifications for the future.

Nintendo has spent a lot of time, money, and energy on removing Switch emulators from the internet in recent years.

The first Switch emulator, Yuzu, was launched in January 2018, not even a year after the console’s release. However, Nintendo managed to get it shut down in March 2024. Later that year, it came for Ryujinx, another Switch emulator.

But just like the Hydra, it felt like for every emulator that Nintendo was able to cull, multiple new ones would take their place.

Nintendo May Be Hitting A Bunch Of Switch Emulators With DMCA Takedown Requests

Reports now suggest that Nintendo has been trying to shut down more Switch emulators, using a new DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) request to force their repositories to be taken offline immediately.

According to Reddit user Devile, the long list of affected emulators includes Citron, Eden, Kenji-NX, MeloNX, Pine, Pomelo, Ryubing, Ryujinx, Skyline, Sudachi, Sumi, Suyu, and Yuzu.

Devile suggests that the repositories for these emulators would be taken offline by Friday, however they still remain online as of Sunday. However, you never know when they might disappear, so be sure to grab them now while you can.

As for why Nintendo is doing this, it comes down to what it believes is illegal piracy. Console manufacturers have tried shutting down emulation since the 1990s, but each attempt has failed for them.

Lawsuits such as Sega v. Accolade (1992), Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. v. Connectix Corporation (2000), and Sony Computer Entertainment America v. Bleem (2000) each ruled that emulators, developed via clean room design, are legal.

As such, a precedent exists to say that emulation is completely legal, provided that you’re using your own copies of the game to play them. Unauthorised distribution of games remains illegal, which is why you need to dump your own copies.

Even with that in mind, it looks like progress on Switch emulation may be set back if Nintendo gets its wishes, which could spell trouble for the retro gaming scene in a decade or two when collectors want to back up their own games.

However, I’m pretty sure it's more concerned about these emulators getting advanced enough that they can play Switch 2 games, which would pose a greater problem for the company.