Video Game Piracy Enters New Era as Japan Arrests Its First Alleged Modder of Nintendo Switch Consoles

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.

According to NTV News, a 58-year-old man was taken into custody on January 15th, facing charges under the Trademark Act. The individual allegedly altered pre-owned Switch consoles by soldering modified components onto their circuit boards. This modification allowed the consoles to run illegally obtained games. Authorities claim 27 pirated titles were loaded onto each console, which were then sold for approximately ¥28,000 ($180 USD) apiece.

The suspect has reportedly confessed to the accusations. Law enforcement is currently investigating potential additional violations.

Nintendo and other game publishers have long waged a battle against piracy. A notable example occurred in May 2024, when Nintendo issued a takedown notice affecting 8,500 copies of the Yuzu Switch emulator, following the emulator's removal two months prior. A previous lawsuit filed by Nintendo against the emulator's creator, Tropic Haze, alleged that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—a major 2023 release—had been pirated a million times before its official launch.

Legal action against piracy is escalating. Previous successful cases include lawsuits against RomUniverse, a game file-sharing website, resulting in $2.1 million in damages to Nintendo in 2021 and over $12 million in 2018. These legal actions also impacted the Dolphin GameCube and Wii emulator, preventing its release on Steam.

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