Nintendo has recently taken legal action against the creators of the popular Nintendo Switch emulator, Yuzu, and the Nintendo 3DS emulator, Citra, leading to a significant development in the world of gaming emulation. The lawsuit, which accuses the developers of facilitating piracy on a massive scale, has resulted in a settlement that will see the shutdown of both emulators.
Tropic Haze, the company behind Yuzu, has agreed to pay $2.4 million to Nintendo and cease all activities related to the development, distribution, and promotion of Yuzu. This includes shutting down the yuzu-emu.org domain and removing all related software and tools that could circumvent Nintendo’s copyright protection. The agreement also extends to Citra, affecting its development and support.
The developers of Yuzu and Citra have stated that piracy was never their intention. They began these projects out of a passion for Nintendo’s games and consoles, not to cause harm. However, they acknowledge that their emulators have facilitated piracy and have therefore decided to discontinue their projects immediately. This includes pulling their code repositories offline, discontinuing their Patreon accounts and Discord servers, and shutting down their websites.
The proposed final judgment and permanent injunction have been signed by Judge John J. McConnell, with no changes, marking a significant moment in the battle against video game piracy. While it’s unclear if this is the end for Yuzu and Citra, as copies of their emulators and source code are still out there, this settlement sends a strong message about the consequences of creating tools that can bypass copyright protections.
This legal action by Nintendo could also have implications for other emulators beyond Yuzu and Citra. The outcome of this lawsuit highlights the importance of respecting copyright laws and the potential legal risks associated with developing emulation software that circumvents a company’s technological protection measures.
