Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against Tropic Haze, the makers of the open-source Nintendo Switch emulator, Yuzu. According to the lawsuit, Nintendo alleges that Yuzu bypasses the company’s security measures, allowing the decryption of games with an illegally obtained copy of prod.keys, thus enabling unauthorized versions of games to be played on PCs or Android devices. The gaming giant also pointed out the damages incurred due to Yuzu’s activity with its new release, “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom,” which was leaked and downloaded over 1 million times prior to its official release, with over 20% of the download links directing users to Yuzu.
Although Yuzu does not provide users with pirated copies of games, Nintendo emphasizes that the majority of ROM sites referred users to Yuzu for playing downloaded games. Nintendo remains firm that the emulator’s illegitimate uses have necessitated substantial resources to combat the illegal copying, marketing, sale, and distribution of its Switch games. The gaming company also notes that Yuzu earns around $30,000 monthly from its Patreon, amounting to at least $50,000 in earnings from paid Yuzu downloads.
The court case comes as part of Nintendo’s rigorous efforts to defend its intellectual property, where it has successfully won lawsuits against pirated game sites like RomUniverse. The company continues to seek justice against alleged Nintendo Switch hacker, Gary Bowser, currently owing $10 million to Nintendo, despite his release from prison. Now, the company has made a move to shut down the emulator and seeks compensation for damages caused. As of yet, neither Nintendo nor Tropic Haze have commented on the lawsuit.
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