Nintendo Intensifies Efforts to Combat Switch Piracy

Nintendo is showing no signs of slowing down in its crusade against piracy as it intensifies efforts to track down more individuals involved with unauthorized modifications and distribution of its games. Following legal moves against a prominent modder known for selling devices to pirate Switch games, Nintendo is casting a wider net in its ongoing investigations.

This latest move is part of Nintendo’s long-standing legal crusade to safeguard its intellectual property. The company has a well-documented history of using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to clamp down on those leaking its content or distributing unauthorized ROMs and emulators. Earlier this year, Nintendo reached a $2.4 million settlement with Tropic Haze, the developers behind the Yuzu Switch emulator, which was later removed from public repositories. Despite the project’s closure, Tropic Haze maintained its anti-piracy stance.

Nintendo has already had its plate full this year with court proceedings, yet the company is determined to serve additional legal notices. According to a filing from a Washington state district court, Nintendo is pursuing more individuals implicated in a recent investigation involving a notorious Switch pirate. After successfully suing James “Archbox” Williams, a moderator of the SwitchPirates subreddit with over 216,000 members, Nintendo is now seeking further details. The company won a default judgment against Williams, who did not appear in court, and is attempting to subpoena records from major platforms like Reddit, Discord, GitHub, and others to uncover Williams’ potential collaborators.

In a related 2024 case, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against Modded Hardware. This company was accused of selling MIG Switch devices bundled with pirated Nintendo games. Despite being previously warned with a cease and desist order in March 2024, Ryan Daly, the head of Modded Hardware, continued the sales until legal action was taken.

Nintendo’s courtroom victories emphasize its intolerance for piracy. As the launch of the next generation of Switch looms, it remains to be seen how these ongoing legal pursuits will play out.