Nintendo continues to take down Switch emulator projects

Nintendo is continuing to issue DMCA takedown notices to a growing number of Switch emulator projects. While Nintendo has moved on to its next-generation Switch 2 at this stage, support for the original Switch is still continuing due to its large user-base, with new first-party and third-party titles still coming to the older console in 2026. 

Nintendo began its fight against Switch emulators back in 2024, when it took down prolific projects like Yuzu and Ryujinx. However, many still had access to the files for these emulators and as a result, numerous groups began providing forks, and releasing newly-named Switch emulators.

With its latest takedown effort, Nintendo is targeting various Switch emulator projects, including the likes of Citron, Eden, Kenji-NX, MeloNX, Pine, Pomelo, Ryubing, Ryujinx, Skyline, Sudachi, Sumi, Suyu and Yuzu.

Previously, Nintendo had limited its efforts to targeting ROM sites offering illegal downloads of games for its platforms, but that tactic didn't really work either, as every time a piracy site would shut down, several more would appear in their place. For a long time, it was believed that emulators existed in a legal ‘grey area' and could not be targeted, but Nintendo is quickly changing that narrative, despite no actual court cases coming to fruition yet. The developers behind the emulator Eden have already spoken out saying they intend to continue development despite Nintendo's DMCA but it still remains to be seen if the other projects will live on.

KitGuru Says: Once a product has reached end-of-life, then emulators can be very useful, as it keeps a platform alive and its games accessible long after the creators have lost interest. However, when a platform is still alive, thriving and selling millions of units a year, it is hard to justify emulators for reasons outside of piracy. 

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