If you remember, we told you about the Yuzu vs Nintendo lawsuit last week. Now, new developments have emerged regarding the lawsuit.
Immediately after this development, which greatly impacted the emulation world, Yuzu gave up and paid Nintendo 2.4 million dollars in compensation instead of fighting the lawsuit. Here are all the details…
Yuzu vs Nintendo: Litigation and settlement
The lawsuit was filed in Seattle District Court on February 20, 2024, and Yuzu agreed to give up and pay Nintendo $2.4 million in damages. According to the settlement, Yuzu:
- Stop the development and distribution of the emulator
- It will also stop the sharing of “dodge” vehicles
- Will transfer domain names to Nintendo
- Delete all source code and related materials
Both the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS emulators are fully affected, Yuzu and Citra developer Bunnei confirmed on Yuzu’s Discord server:
Hello yuz-ers and Citra fans: We write today to inform you that yuzu and yuzu’s support of Citra are being discontinued, effective immediately.
yuzu and its team have always been against piracy. We started the projects in good faith, out of passion for Nintendo and its consoles and games, and were not intending to cause harm. But we see now that because our projects can circumvent Nintendo’s technological protection measures and allow users to play games outside of authorized hardware, they have led to extensive piracy. In particular, we have been deeply disappointed when users have used our software to leak game content prior to its release and ruin the experience for legitimate purchasers and fans.
We have come to the decision that we cannot continue to allow this to occur. Piracy was never our intention, and we believe that piracy of video games and on video game consoles should end. Effective today, we will be pulling our code repositories offline, discontinuing our Patreon accounts and Discord servers, and, soon, shutting down our websites. We hope our actions will be a small step toward ending piracy of all creators’ works.
Thank you for your years of support and for understanding our decision.
But what does this capitulation mean? Will Yuzu’s closure really stop piracy?
Impact of the case and opinions
Yuzu’s closure will be a major obstacle for those who want to emulate Switch games. It could also have a chilling effect on developers of other emulators.
Some argue that Nintendo is right and should take legal action against emulators to combat piracy. Others argue that emulators are a legal and ethical tool and can protect games.
The future of emulation
Yuzu’s closure can be seen as a setback for the world of emulation. But this does not mean the end of emulation. Other emulators are still being developed, and innovation in this field will not stop.
The important thing is that emulation remains legal and ethical. Emulators should be used to preserve old games and introduce them to new generations, not to pirate them.
What is Yuzu?
Yuzu was a free and open-source emulator designed to play Nintendo Switch games on computers (Windows, Linux) and even Android devices. Developed by some of the creators behind the successful Nintendo 3DS emulator, Citra, Yuzu became popular because it could run many Switch games with impressive smoothness, sometimes even better than on the original console.
What is Yuzu emulator used for?
Primary uses of Yuzu:
- Playing Nintendo Switch games on other platforms: Yuzu’s main function was to allow users to play Nintendo Switch games on their PCs or Android devices, opening up Switch titles to people who didn’t own the console.
- Enhanced performance & mods: In some cases, Yuzu could run Switch games even better than the original hardware, with higher resolutions, smoother framerates, and the possibility of using mods to change gameplay.
- Game preservation: Like other emulators, Yuzu could potentially play a role in preserving game history. It would allow future generations to access Switch titles when the original hardware is no longer functional.
The controversy:
- Piracy: Unfortunately, Yuzu became closely associated with piracy. The ease with which the emulator could run illegally downloaded Switch games significantly harmed Nintendo’s sales and was a major factor in their lawsuit against Yuzu’s developers.
- Legal gray area: While emulation itself often exists in a legal gray area, the strong ties to piracy made Yuzu’s case much more contentious from a legal standpoint.
Final words
Yuzu vs Nintendo lawsuit highlights the complexities and ongoing debate surrounding emulation. Nintendo’s decisive victory clearly conveys that they will actively protect their intellectual property and combat piracy. Yuzu’s closure significantly blows the Switch emulation scene and might discourage future emulator development efforts.
Featured image credit: Jason Leung / Unsplash
