Nintendo lawyer explains why it has been tackling "illegal" emulators following Yuzu and Ryujinx shutdowns
Koji Nishiura, the deputy general manager of Nintendo's intellectual property department, has explained what makes an emulator "illegal" and why the company has continued to take action against the software.
The details:
Speaking at a lecture hosted by Japan's Association of Copyright for Computer Software at Tokyo eSports Festa 2025 (via Denfaminicogamer and Automaton), Nishiura explained that, while not all emulators are illegal, they can be depending on how they are used. "To begin with, are emulators illegal or not?" Nishiura asked. "This is a point often debated. While you can't immediately claim that an emulator is illegal in itself, it can become illegal depending on how it's used."
The patent attorney's first example of what could make an emulator illegal was that, while emulating a game device is technically legal, copying a program tied to the device is not, as it would be considered copyright infringement. Nishiura also stated that an emulator cannot disable security measures such as encryption as it would then violate Japan's Unfair Competition Prevention Act and copyright laws in other countries.
The lawyer also stated that during the era of DS flash carts, such as the infamous "R4", Nintendo and over 50 other developers succesfully took legal action against sellers as the cards were capable of bypassing the DS's security.
Nishiura went on to say that if an emulator provides direct links to websites where players can download pirated games, it violates copyright law since it is classed as a "reach app."
Last year, Nintendo ordered the shutdown of the Switch emulator Yuzu and its 3DS counterpart, Citrus. In the lawsuit, the company claimed that Tropic Haze, Yuzu's creator, facilitated piracy after over a million players used the software to illegally play The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. It was settled after the emulators were discontinued, with the creator agreeing to pay $2.4 million in damages.
Yuzu's demise was followed by Ryujinx, another Switch emulator that vanished in October. While no further details about the removal have been revealed, it has been confirmed that its creator was approached by Nintendo to cease development, which they agreed to.
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