Nintendo, ever notorious for its Disney-level litigiousness, has struck once again, allegedly issuing several DMCA takedowns on GitHub, the internet’s biggest site for software development and code. Most notably, the company issued a takedown for Lockpick, a tool for dumping console keys and digital game keys from your own Nintendo Switch console. Because you get the keys from your own Nintendo Switch, it’s not how you’re going to pirate games onto an emulator. Needless to say, fans aren’t happy.
Nintendo has just issued multiple DMCA takedown requests to GitHub, including for Lockpick, the tool for dumping keys from YOUR OWN Switch, which is absolutely ludicrous – pirates aren't gonna be sourcing keys from their own consoles!https://t.co/QePiLPTjmm
— Simon Aarons (@ItsSimonTime) May 4, 2023
As a consequence of Lockpick getting DMCA’d, the developers of Skyline – a Switch emulator that is developed by dumping keys from the dev’s own Switches – made the difficult decision to cease work on the project, fearing that Nintendo’s cited reasons for taking down Lockpick (circumventing copy protection) would apply to them as well.
The Skyline emulator team has announced they are ceasing development on their project due to recent legal action from Nintendo. You can read the full announcement on their discord server. They will be making all their source code publicly available, as well as their final APK. pic.twitter.com/OFFS8VaCCG
— Retro Game Corps (@RetroGameCorps) May 6, 2023
Yuzu, the most popular Switch emulator, appears to be unaffected for the moment. But Nintendo will continue to wield its legal powers and army of lawyers to great effect for the foreseeable future, regardless of how much disappointment they engender along the way.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
