Nintendo is taking its battle against piracy up a notch, focusing on unearthing more individuals involved in illegal activities. This move comes hot on the heels of their legal actions against James “Archbox” Williams, a well-known figure accused of facilitating the piracy of Nintendo Switch games.
This latest thrust is part of Nintendo’s broader, longstanding efforts to protect its intellectual property. Over the years, the company has frequently invoked the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to crack down on leaks and platforms that host unauthorized versions of its games and systems. A notable legal win for Nintendo occurred earlier in 2024, when they settled for $2.4 million against Tropic Haze, the team behind the Yuzu Switch emulator, which was subsequently removed from various code-sharing websites. Despite this setback, Tropic Haze remains vocal about their opposition to game piracy.
Although Nintendo’s legal department has had quite a hectic year, they show no signs of slowing down. Recently, a U.S. district court filing in Washington state indicated that Nintendo plans to pursue further legal actions, targeting individuals connected to a well-known Switch modder. This step follows Nintendo’s successful lawsuit against James “Archbox” Williams. Williams, formerly a moderator of the SwitchPirates subreddit—a community boasting over 216,000 members—did not contest Nintendo’s legal advances, leading to a default judgment against him. Now, Nintendo seeks court approval to access records from platforms like Reddit, Discord, GitHub, and more, hoping to uncover Williams’ associates involved in piracy.
In a related legal pursuit, Nintendo is also going after Modded Hardware, a company accused of selling the MIG Switch devices—a hardware mod that included pirated Nintendo games. Despite receiving a cease and desist order in March 2024, Ryan Daly, the head of Modded Hardware, continued his operations until Nintendo filed a lawsuit in June 2024.
Nintendo’s track record of securing legal victories underscores its zero-tolerance stance on piracy. As the countdown to the launch of the next Nintendo Switch console begins, it will be interesting to see how these ongoing legal maneuvers unfold and what impact they will have on the gaming landscape.
