RyujinX, considered the second most popular Nintendo Switch emulator out there, appears to have shut down their operations. Its download page is now barren, its Github is gone, with only a 404 to greet users who visit the page, and supposedly, Nintendo had allegedly made its creator an offer they couldn’t refuse.
The shutdown and Nintendo’s approach were confirmed by RyujinX via X, while its Discord page. The contents of the offer or deal weren’t disclosed but suffice it to say, whatever Nintendo was prepared to damn them with was enough that they willingly took down the project.
“Yesterday, gdkchan was contacted by Nintendo and offered an agreement to stop working on the project, remove the organization and all related assets he’s in control of,” writes developer and moderator ripinperiperi on Discord. “While awaiting confirmation on whether he would take this agreement, the organization has been removed, so I think it’s safe to say what the outcome is.”
At the time of writing, Nintendo has not confirmed or denied that it had struck a deal with RyujinX. As per The Verge, a spokesperson gave them the runaround by redirecting them to someone within the Entertainment Software Association, who then said they couldn’t speak on behalf of the video game company.
On that note, it’s becoming evident that Nintendo is slowly but surely winning its ongoing legal battles against emulators. Back in March, it successfully shut down the emulator Yuzu. Adding insult to injury, it also forced the developers to pay the company a sum of US$2.4 million (~RM10.12 million). That said, the emulator’s sister site, Suyu, is still up and running.
— Ryujinx (@RyujinxEmu) October 1, 2024
And let’s not forget about the takedown of Gary Bowser, the console hacker who ended up in a US Federal prison for just shy of four years. Even while being incarcerated, Nintendo was clearly out for blood when it demanded that the man pay US$14.5 million (~RM61.3 million) in damages, taken from his monthly gross income from his work from behind bars.
(Source: RyujinX, The Verge, Tom’s Hardware)
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