Nintendo Shuts Down Ryujinx Switch Emulator

As we know, Nintendo has a reputation for vigorously pursuing legal action against those who allegedly violate its copyrights. Earlier this year, the company targeted Yuzu, an open-source Nintendo Switch emulator, as well as the 3DS emulator Citra, which resulted in the shutdown of Yuzu and its GitHub forks, further reinforcing Nintendo's control over its intellectual property.

Nintendo Switch is an interesting case in the world of console gaming, as this currently available system has not just one but two major emulators actively in development. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case, as Ryujinx, Switch's other popular emulator, is now unplayable following Nintendo's intervention.

Ryujinx, an open-source Nintendo Switch emulator for Windows, Linux, and macOS, posted a screenshot of the announcement on its Twitter/X page, revealing that Nintendo had reached out to the emulator's creator, gdkchan, and "offered an agreement to stop working on the project, remove the organization and all related assets he's in control of".

As of now, Ryujinx's Github page displays a 404 error, and the emulator's download page is also inaccessible.

"Thank you all for following us throughout the development. I was able to learn a lot of really neat things about games that I love, enjoy them with renewed qualities and in unique circumstances, and I'm sure you all have experiences that are similarly special", reads the message by riperiperi, one of Ryujinx's developers.

"While I won't be remaining in the Switch scene either, I still believe in emulation as a whole and hope that other developers aren't dissuaded by this. The future of game preservation does depend on individuals, and maybe one day it'll be properly recognized."

In the past, Nintendo has taken action against Yuzu clones after GitHub users created forks of the emulator in an effort to preserve it. The Ryujinx shutdown is certainly a concerning situation for the game preservation community, especially since emulators themselves are not illegal. 

Following the announcement, the Ryujinx team shared details about some unreleased projects they had been developing, which included functional ports for both iOS and Android. Find more details about these projects here and join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.