Yuzu and Citra Emulators Shut Down After Legal Pressure from Nintendo
Shockwaves reverberate through the gaming community
One of the most popular emulators for the well-known Switch and 3DS gaming consoles, Yuzu and Citra, have been forced to shut down following legal action from Nintendo. Tropic Haze LLC, the company behind the emulators, recently reached a settlement agreement of US$2.4 million with Nintendo, effectively ending both projects and associated websites.
Legal battles unfold
Nintendo’s lawsuit against Tropic Haze LLC was based on the claim that the Yuzu emulator required files from a real Switch device to decrypt game files. While emulators, by themselves, are not illegal, the situation becomes legally ambiguous when proprietary firmware and keys are involved. The Yuzu developers’ blatant display of copyright infringement appears to have provoked Nintendo’s legal team, leading to the demise of both Yuzu and Citra as collateral damage.
Implications and aftermath
As a result of this lawsuit and subsequent settlement, Yuzu and Citra have effectively disappeared. However, given that both projects are open-source, it is highly likely that new iterations of Citra will emerge under different names, while Yuzu may find itself reincarnated with certain modifications. Emulators themselves, even when used for copyright infringement, are generally deemed legal under existing laws such as the US DMCA. The act of dumping firmware and game ROMs, as long as they are acquired legally, can be executed with impunity, despite Nintendo’s objections.
