2026-02-16 12:00:07
Nintendo has intensified its campaign against Switch emulation, issuing fresh DMCA takedown notices to several high-profile emulator projects hosted on GitHub.
The latest wave reportedly targets repositories linked to emulators such as Citron and Eden, with developers confirming their release pages were hit with copyright complaints.
While self-hosted repositories outside of GitHub appear unaffected for now, the move signals Nintendo’s continued determination to clamp down on tools it believes facilitate piracy.
This follows the company’s high-profile legal action against the Yuzu emulator in 2024, which resulted in a $2.4 million settlement and the project’s shutdown.
Shortly after, Ryujinx also ceased development after its team said Nintendo had “offered an agreement to stop working on the project”.
At the time, many within the emulation community viewed those developments as a warning shot — and this latest round of DMCAs suggests Nintendo has not eased its stance.
Emulation itself is not illegal, but it exists in a legal grey area. Nintendo’s case against Yuzu centred on allegations that the emulator facilitated widespread piracy, including the circulation of pre-release copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
The publisher has consistently argued that such software undermines its intellectual property and harms legitimate sales.
Despite the pressure, emulator developers and supporters argue that the practice preserves gaming history and hardware compatibility. Some projects are already moving away from GitHub hosting to avoid further disruption.
Nintendo has long taken one of the most aggressive anti-emulation positions in the industry, and with the Switch nearing the end of its lifecycle, it appears the company is intent on protecting its ecosystem right up until the next generation arrives.
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