Video Game Piracy Enters New Era as Japan Arrests Its First Alleged Modder of Nintendo Switch Consoles

Japanese police have made a landmark arrest, apprehending a 58-year-old man for modifying Nintendo Switch consoles to run pirated games. This marks the first time someone has been arrested in Japan for this specific hardware modification offense, highlighting a new frontier in the fight against video game piracy.

According to NTV News, the man was arrested on January 15th on suspicion of violating Japan's Trademark Act. He allegedly modified second-hand Switch consoles by welding altered circuit boards, enabling them to play pirated games. These modified consoles, pre-loaded with 27 illegally obtained games, were then sold for approximately ¥28,000 ($180) each. The suspect has confessed to the charges, and police are investigating potential further violations.

This arrest underscores the ongoing battle between video game companies and piracy. Nintendo, in particular, has been actively combating piracy, as evidenced by a May 2024 takedown request targeting 8,500 copies of the Switch emulator Yuzu, following the emulator's shutdown two months prior. Their previous lawsuit against Yuzu's creator, Tropic Haze, cited over one million pirated copies of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom before its official release.

Legal action against piracy is increasingly prevalent. Notable examples include successful lawsuits against RomUniverse, resulting in $2.1 million in damages to Nintendo in 2021 and over $12 million in 2018. These legal victories also extended to blocking the popular GameCube and Wii emulator Dolphin from the Steam platform.

Recently, Koji Nishiura, Nintendo's Assistant Manager of the Intellectual Property Division, shed light on the company's strategy in addressing piracy and emulation. He clarified that while emulators themselves aren't inherently illegal, their use can become illegal depending on the context, specifically highlighting the link between emulation and software piracy.