After six years in active development, Nintendo Switch emulator Ryujinx finally closed its doors after a takedown from Nintendo.
Following the closure of the popular Switch emulator, Yuzu, Nintendo has turned its eye to another piece of pirate software – Ryujinx. Set up by lead developer gdkchan back in 2017, Ryujinx has been the last bastion for Switch emulation, but that comes to an end today.
As of October 1, Ryujinx is no longer in development, and the emulator can’t be downloaded via the organization’s official website. This news comes just days after Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was showcased running on Ryujinx with uncapped FPS.
Of course, the closure will not come as a surprise, especially considering Nintendo has maintained a stalwart approach to piracy and the infringement of its brands. The developers famously shut down the likes of Cemu and Yuzu, the latter of which has agreed to pay the Japanese game company $2.4M in damages.
Writing on the official Ryujinx Discord server, developer riperiperi announced the reasons behind the closure.
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— Ryujinx (@RyujinxEmu) October 1, 2024
“Yesterday, gdkchan was contacted by Nintendo and offered an agreement to stop working on the project, remove the organization and all related assets he’s in control of. While awaiting confirmation on whether he would take this agreement, the organization has been removed, so I think it’s safe to say what the outcome is.”
Quite what this “agreement” was remains uncertain, but it’s clear that Ryujinx is no longer operating and will stay shuttered for the foreseeable future. As another emulator shutters its doors, it’s clear Nintendo is keen to crack down on not only emulation but copyright infringement – with the latest being the Pokemon and Palworld lawsuit.
The developers have even gone as far as striking down YouTubers just for showing emulated games, with Retro Games Corp being the latest to receive two copyright strikes from Nintendo.