Switch Modding Arrests Herald New Era in Console Piracy

Japanese authorities make a landmark arrest in the fight against video game piracy. For the first time, a suspect has been apprehended for modifying Nintendo Switch consoles to enable pirated game play.

NTV News reports, and Automaton translates, the arrest of a 58-year-old man on January 15th. The charges stem from a violation of the Trademark Act. The individual allegedly modified pre-owned Switch consoles by soldering altered components onto the circuit boards, allowing them to run pirated software. Authorities claim 27 illegally obtained games were loaded onto each modified console, which were then sold for approximately ¥28,000 ($180 USD) apiece.

The suspect has confessed, and further investigations are underway to determine the extent of their illegal activities.

This arrest highlights the ongoing battle between video game publishers and piracy. Nintendo, a frequent target, issued a takedown notice in May 2024 impacting 8,500 copies of the Yuzu Switch emulator, following its shutdown two months prior. Their earlier lawsuit against the emulator's creator, Tropic Haze, cited the unauthorized distribution of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—a major 2023 release—over one million times before its official launch.

Legal action against piracy is intensifying. Notable past successes include lawsuits against RomUniverse, resulting in $2.1 million in damages to Nintendo in 2021 and over $12 million in 2018. These actions also prevented the Dolphin GameCube and Wii emulator from appearing on Steam.

Recently, a Nintendo patent lawyer shed light on the company's anti-piracy strategy, emphasizing the link between emulator proliferation and software piracy. Koji Nishiura, Assistant Manager of the Intellectual Property Division, stated that while emulators themselves aren't inherently illegal, their use can lead to legal violations.