For the 7th anniversary of the Switch, Nintendo is skinning the best emulator of the console

©Nintendo

The Japanese giant Nintendohas always had a particularly protectionist reputation with regard to its licenses. If some players regret the fact that Big N regularly puts an end to fan projects with a lawyer, we must not forget that this is largely due to the laws to which the publisher must comply.

Indeed, if Nintendo does not take legal action when someone makes unauthorized use of its intellectual property, it risks setting a legal precedent and losing control of it.

While many (we were the first) were hoping to finally discover the next Nintendo console on March 3 to mark the 7th anniversary of the Switch is a completely different story for which the Kyoto company is making headlines.

You, zou

Subscribe to Lemon Squeezer

We will not insult you by reminding you of the principle of the emulator, while emulation machines like the Miyoo that we tested here are at the top of their popularity at the moment. Only, today, we are talking about Yuzu, the best emulator available for the Nintendo Switch.

This appeared in 2018, barely a year after the release of the console. Not only did it allow you to play Switch games through illegal means, but the worst part is that it allowed you to do it in better conditions than the console itself. even. 4K resolution, 60 FPS mode, people equipped with high-end PCs could benefit from improvements that the Switch is completely incapable of.

The Steam Deck has also become a formidable emulation machine with Yuzu offering an experience at least as good as on the original console, Nintendo couldn't let this go.

But why is Nintendo waking up 6 years later&amp ;nbsp;?

People familiar with the field of Switch hacking will have noticed something. There have already been several major releases of Nintendo games that appeared a week earlier on illegal download sites. A situation that could not continue.

According to the Japanese giant, 1 million people have played The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom even before its release in stores or on the eShop… However, if the team behind Yuzu had kept a low profile, they could perhaps have continued the development and distribution of the emulator, but one fact put their foot in the grave from the start.

27 000 euros per month !

The Tropic Haze team behind Yuzu had found an ingenious way to offer the emulator for free while amassing a small fortune by counting on emulation fans.

Indeed, these had opened from the start of development a Patreon, a crowdfunding account that offered benefits to people who donated money monthly in the form of a subscription. Thanks to this means, the buggers received a comfortable income of 27 000 euros per month!

Where Nintendo decided to take legal action as late as 6 years after the arrival of the emulator, it was because one of the Patreon profits made it possible to obtain a version of Yuzu precisely compatible with Zelda TotK a week before its official release. A point which obviously greatly displeased Nintendo, which decided to take legal action against the developers of the application.

The total disappearance of Yuzu

© Yuzu

The case has been carried out in court, and Nintendo and Tropic Haze quickly reached an amicable settlement. With 2.4 million dollars in damages, the Tropic Haze team will have to stop all development and distribution of the Yuzu emulator, while deleting every line of code relating to it.

In a final burst of pure hypocrisy or legal obligation, the developer behind Yuzu declared: < /p>

“Piracy was never our intention, and we believe that piracy of video games and gaming consoles needs to stop. Starting today, we will retire our code, close our Patreon account and Discord servers, and take our site offline. We hope that our actions will be a step towards ending piracy.”

A decision that will also have an impact on the 3DS emulator called Citra.

• Failing to announce the Switch 2, Nintendo< /strong> has just won a big victory against the best emulator of the current Switch.
• Released a year after the release of the console, Yuzu notably allowed millions of people to play The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdoma week before its official release in stores.
• In an amicable agreement between the developers of Yuzu and Nintendo, the Japanese company wins $2.4 million in damages, as well as an outright cessation of development and distribution of the emulator.