The emulation world has been hit hard by Nintendo’s crackdown in recent years: Popular emulators such as Yuzu, Citra and Ryujinx were shut down one by one by Nintendo. However, the company, which has not filed any lawsuits regarding these projects, now seems to have had to change its harsh stance that has been going on for years with a statement made at the Tokyo eSports Festival.

Nintendo: ‘Emulation is legal, but on one condition…’

As part of the Tokyo eSports Festival, a session with legal experts from Capcom, Koei, Sega, Konami, and Nintendo held important discussions on intellectual property rights. In this session, Koji Nishiura, senior lawyer from Nintendo’s intellectual property department, made a big confession by saying ‘Emulation is technically completely legal’.

However, this statement does not mean that emulation is completely free. Nintendo states that modern consoles such as the Switch include technical protection measures, and if emulators circumvent these restrictions and play pirated games, they become illegal.

Nintendo’s stance is based entirely on preventing piracy… The company argues that the emulators it has shut down make it easier to pirate games. Tropic Haze, the developer of Yuzu, allegedly sharing Switch game ROMs within the company may be one of the main reasons for this move.

Also, one of the biggest reasons for Nintendo to increase legal pressure may be the recently announced Nintendo Switch 2. The fact that the new console will be released in 2025 seems to have already pushed Nintendo to take measures against possible emulation threats.

So, how do you think Nintendo’s statements will affect the future of emulation? Share your opinions in the comments!