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Ryujinx, one of the most popular Nintendo Switch emulators, has been shut down following legal pressure from Nintendo.
The closure comes after Nintendo reached out to the emulator’s creator, gdkchan, offering an agreement to cease the project.
A Discord message from Ryujinx’s developer and moderator, ripinperiperi, confirmed the project’s termination and the removal of all related assets from online platforms like GitHub.
Looks like Ryujinx (Switch emulator) is dead pic.twitter.com/gE1qH30Axs
— Wario64 (@Wario64) October 1, 2024
Ryujinx, which began in 2017 as an open-source project, allowed users to play Nintendo Switch games on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
Over the years, it became known for running more than 3,200 games and achieving performance improvements on PCs compared to the original hardware. However, this success also drew unwanted attention from Nintendo, which has ramped up efforts to combat software emulation and piracy.
The Ryujinx shutdown follows Nintendo’s recent legal actions against Yuzu, another prominent Switch emulator. Earlier this year, Nintendo sued Yuzu’s creators, Tropic Haze, leading to a $2.4 million settlement and the emulator’s permanent closure.
The company has been increasingly aggressive in defending its intellectual property, targeting both emulators and those using them to pirate games (unlike Apple, which recently relaxed its position on emulation).
While emulators are technically legal, the use of them to run pirated copies of games infringes on copyright law. Nintendo’s crackdown reflects its broader strategy to curb unauthorized use of its content.
Despite this, Ryujinx’s community on Discord and X (formerly Twitter) expressed gratitude for the project’s contributions, with many noting the unique gaming experiences it enabled.
Damn that sucks. That was the best emulator too. It was super accurate, sure it was slow if you had a potato, but I've been using it as a Switch Pro buying games and keeping them sealed in plastic.
— Kerfont🫐 (@TheKerfont) October 1, 2024
Nintendo has not officially confirmed any specific legal action regarding Ryujinx, but it seems clear that their efforts to eliminate Switch emulation have forced the shutdown of both Ryujinx and Yuzu.
The news comes weeks after Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed a lawsuit against Pocketpair, Palworld’s developer, for patent infringement.
