Switch emulator Ryujinx is kaput after Nintendo pressure

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Nintendo has shuttered another emulator, this time putting an end to Ryujinx. The program was an open-source emulator for playing Nintendo Switch games on Windows, Linux and Mac operating systems. A message shared today with the emulator’s Discord server stated that the developer was contacted by Nintendo with a deal to cease work on the project. No additional details were given about the conditions of that agreement. The same message was also posted on X:

The emulator will still function for anyone already running it, but the Github repository has been removed. Ryujinx also made some headlines last month for running the new Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom game at more than 120 frames per second, vastly outstripping the Switch’s capabilities.

Nintendo has taken an aggressive stance on emulators, even teaming up with a cybersecurity firm in 2023 to try and curb game piracy. Ryujinx is one of the more popular emulators it has taken on, but the game company also reached a $2.4 million settlement with the emulator Yuzu in March. It issued a whopping 8,535 DMCA takedowns in May to try and remove all the Yuzu code hosted across different Github repositories.