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 Nintendo Switch game piracy. For the first time, a suspect has been apprehended for modifying Switch hardware to enable pirated game play.

According to NTV News, a 58-year-old man was taken into custody on January 15th, accused of violating Japan's Trademark Act. The alleged crime involved altering pre-owned Switch consoles by soldering modified components onto the circuit boards. This modification allowed the consoles to run pirated games. Authorities claim the man loaded 27 illegally obtained games onto each modified console before selling them for approximately ¥28,000 ($180 USD).

The suspect has confessed to the charges. Further investigations are underway to determine if additional legal violations occurred.

This arrest highlights the ongoing battle between video game publishers and piracy. Nintendo, in particular, has aggressively pursued legal action against piracy. A notable example includes their May 2024 takedown request targeting 8,500 copies of the Yuzu Switch emulator, following the emulator's closure two months prior. Their initial lawsuit against the creator, Tropic Haze, cited the unauthorized distribution of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, estimating over one million pirated copies before its official release.

Legal challenges against piracy are escalating. Past successful cases include actions against RomUniverse, resulting in $2.1 million in damages to Nintendo in 2021 and over $12 million in 2018. These legal victories also extended to blocking the Dolphin GameCube and Wii emulator from the Steam platform.

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 Nintendo's Intellectual Property Division, stated that while emulators aren't inherently illegal, their usage can lead to legal ramifications depending on how they are employed.