Nintendo’s ongoing battle against unauthorized Nintendo Switch emulators reached a new milestone in 2024 with a comprehensive round of DMCA takedown requests, directly targeting a wide range of emulation platforms hosted on GitHub.
Last week, the company issued a formal notice resulting in the removal of repositories belonging to thirteen prominent Switch emulators, including Citron, Eden, Kenji-NX, MeloNX, Pine, Pomelo, Ryubing, Ryujinx, Skyline, Sudachi, Sumi, Suyu, and any projects still utilizing components of the Yuzu and Citra emulators. In the official DMCA notice, Nintendo emphasized that "Nintendo Switch emulators are primarily designed to play Nintendo Switch games," and highlighted violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) based on these emulators’ circumvention of technological protection measures.
According to Nintendo, by facilitating the unauthorized execution of Nintendo Switch game software, these tools are designed to bypass protections that safeguard copyrighted content, potentially enabling the unlawful distribution and use of copyrighted games outside intended hardware—namely, the Nintendo Switch console. This legal action follows Nintendo's intensified efforts earlier in 2024, where the high-profile removal of the Yuzu and Citra emulators set a precedent for pursuing other emulation projects suspected of similar DMCA violations.
The crackdown signals Nintendo’s commitment to enforcing its intellectual property rights across digital platforms and cloud repositories such as GitHub and underscores its stance on emulation as a threat to revenue streams tied to original hardware and software. Despite these decisive measures, some emulator developers remain steadfast in their mission.
Eden, one of the Switch emulators singled out in the latest wave, quickly responded to the removals.
In a statement shared via Discord, a project manager from the Eden team clarified, "Our source code remains intact, as it’s not hosted on GitHub.
Only our GitHub releases page was affected by the DMCA notice." The developer added with determination, "Our development will continue as always," expressing confidence in their ability to keep the project alive and accessible for the community. Eden founder Camille LaVey further elaborated in a message to wccftech, underscoring the team's dedication to video game preservation and supporting legitimate game owners.
LaVey stated, "Our goal is to continue advancing the preservation of videogames, ensuring that game owners retain the ability to enjoy their collections beyond the original hardware’s lifespan." While acknowledging the limitations imposed by the GitHub takedown, LaVey emphasized hope that "Eden can still be alive for the years to come" so long as community support persists. With Nintendo’s DMCA enforcement intensifying and key repositories disappearing from GitHub, the landscape for Switch emulators like Eden is more challenging than ever.
However, the emulation community’s resolve and commitment to game preservation highlight the ongoing debate between digital rights management and preservationist ambitions.
For now, as Nintendo continues to defend its intellectual property, projects like Eden signal that—at least for some—the work of maintaining emulation platforms is far from over.
Last week, the company issued a formal notice resulting in the removal of repositories belonging to thirteen prominent Switch emulators, including Citron, Eden, Kenji-NX, MeloNX, Pine, Pomelo, Ryubing, Ryujinx, Skyline, Sudachi, Sumi, Suyu, and any projects still utilizing components of the Yuzu and Citra emulators. In the official DMCA notice, Nintendo emphasized that "Nintendo Switch emulators are primarily designed to play Nintendo Switch games," and highlighted violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) based on these emulators’ circumvention of technological protection measures.
According to Nintendo, by facilitating the unauthorized execution of Nintendo Switch game software, these tools are designed to bypass protections that safeguard copyrighted content, potentially enabling the unlawful distribution and use of copyrighted games outside intended hardware—namely, the Nintendo Switch console. This legal action follows Nintendo's intensified efforts earlier in 2024, where the high-profile removal of the Yuzu and Citra emulators set a precedent for pursuing other emulation projects suspected of similar DMCA violations.
The crackdown signals Nintendo’s commitment to enforcing its intellectual property rights across digital platforms and cloud repositories such as GitHub and underscores its stance on emulation as a threat to revenue streams tied to original hardware and software. Despite these decisive measures, some emulator developers remain steadfast in their mission.
Eden, one of the Switch emulators singled out in the latest wave, quickly responded to the removals.
In a statement shared via Discord, a project manager from the Eden team clarified, "Our source code remains intact, as it’s not hosted on GitHub.
Only our GitHub releases page was affected by the DMCA notice." The developer added with determination, "Our development will continue as always," expressing confidence in their ability to keep the project alive and accessible for the community. Eden founder Camille LaVey further elaborated in a message to wccftech, underscoring the team's dedication to video game preservation and supporting legitimate game owners.
LaVey stated, "Our goal is to continue advancing the preservation of videogames, ensuring that game owners retain the ability to enjoy their collections beyond the original hardware’s lifespan." While acknowledging the limitations imposed by the GitHub takedown, LaVey emphasized hope that "Eden can still be alive for the years to come" so long as community support persists. With Nintendo’s DMCA enforcement intensifying and key repositories disappearing from GitHub, the landscape for Switch emulators like Eden is more challenging than ever.
However, the emulation community’s resolve and commitment to game preservation highlight the ongoing debate between digital rights management and preservationist ambitions.
For now, as Nintendo continues to defend its intellectual property, projects like Eden signal that—at least for some—the work of maintaining emulation platforms is far from over.
