Nintendo may previously have been lax when it comes to its retro consoles being emulated, but it no longer seems to be the case, especially when it comes to its Switch device. In fact, it has been reported that a switch emulator known as Ryujinx has been shut down.
Its developers shared that they have been "contacted by Nintendo," and they have been asked to stop their operations, which focuses heavily on emulating the Switch console. Nintendo also asked that the emulator be taken down.
This latest development comes after Nintendo's lawsuit win against Yuzu, another Switch emulator development. Yuzu agreed to a settlement, which includes paying a substantial fine.
Ryujinx Switch Emulator Shuts Down After Nintendo Contacted Them
a statement made by developer "rip in peri peri" over at their Discord server which claimed that fellow developer, gdkchan, was contacted by Nintendo regarding their open-source emulator. Because of this, the team has decided to shut down its GitHub platform, which offers downloadable assets, announcements, and more to users who are looking to emulate games on other devices.
Nintendo told the team over at Ryujinx to voluntarily shut down their operations and cease their developments involving this Switch emulator project.
Earlier this year, Nintendo took a stern stance against Tropic Haze and the Yuzu emulator, which led to the application being shut down and the devs paying $2.4 million to the Japanese gaming company in a settlement.
— Ryujinx (@RyujinxEmu) October 1, 2024
Ryujinx Developers Wants to Avoid a Nintendo Lawsuit
According to the developer, the team worked on several projects involving the expansion of Ryujinx to iOS, Android, and even a Linux port that will allow it to run on Nintendo's rival handheld console, Valve's Steam Deck. However, all of these will no longer continue because of the shutdown.
Moreover, while there is still no official confirmation regarding any negotiation with Nintendo, the emulator has already been removed from GitHub, which means it ceases to exist, according to the developer.
Nintendo's Zero Tolerance for Piracy
Nintendo has long been notorious for having a strict policy when it comes to piracy as the company has zero tolerance for it. Since the Switch is its current-gen console, the company does not allow emulators to thrive, with the Yuzu emulator serving as a landmark example of this type of piracy.
Despite the Switch being an old console, Nintendo is still against developers emulating its experiences and having their games or third-party releases on their platforms to be pirated and played for free. Nintendo upholds its principle of giving credit where it is due and asks its customers to pay for the games by buying physical or digital copies from its eShop or retailers.
Emulation may only be one part of piracy that bypasses Nintendo and its rules, but the Japanese gaming giant is also hammering down on users that "jailbreak" or homebrew the Switch. If caught, Nintendo can render the Switch devices unusable, bricking the device due to the account's violations if they are discovered to be practicing this bypass.
