Nintendo Strikes Down Switch Homebrew Project and Android Emulator, but PC’s Ryujinx Isn’t Shutting Down

Nintendo is once again on the warpath. After taking down the multiplayer mod created for the emulated PC version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Japanese game company has now reportedly issued takedowns for Lockpick, the homebrew project that allows users to 'dump' their own digital keys from their Switch consoles and load them on emulators like Ryujinx and Yuzu for PC.

The news came from programmer Simon Aarons, who had created a fork of Lockpick. He also received a DMCA from Nintendo and shared it via Twitter. In the legal document, Nintendo argues that Lockpick allows users to circumvent the protective measures of the Switch console and facilitates copyright infringement by enabling pirated versions of Switch games to be played on modified consoles or other systems.

Ironically, as noted by many users, Lockpick is currently the only legal way to emulate Switch games, as it simply allows you to transfer your digital rights from the console to another platform, such as a PC. By taking down Lockpick, Nintendo may be forcing emulator users to actually look for pirated keys in the future.

this is ridiculous. this is quite literally the only legal way to emulate switch games, dumping your OWN keys

im now forced to obtain keys in illegal ways to emulate my own games thanks nintendo https://t.co/RWBcYJH8zE

— Mors (@MorsGames) May 5, 2023

While the Lockpick repository on GitHub is presently still available, it may be just a matter of time before GitHub complies with the takedown request.

Meanwhile, Nintendo's actions have already scared the developers of Skyline, an Android Switch emulator, into shutting down development to avoid any potential legal issues. The Skyline team posted the following message on their Discord server:

It is with great sadness that we bring you this news. Recently, Nintendo has issued a DMCA takedown notice against Lockpick RCM, which will likely come into effect on Monday. Lockpick is a core part of legally dumping keys from the Switch. They claim that it circumvents their copy protection (TPMs) and therefore violates their copyright. We find ourselves in a position where we are potentially violating their copyright by continuing to develop our project, Skyline, by dumping keys from our own Switches.

However, they won't remove the GitHub repository or builds, and the source code will be publicly shared. The team's next project will be a way to emulate Windows PC games on Android.

Lockpick had been around for years, inevitably prompting speculation on why exactly Nintendo took action at this precise time. The answer appears crystal clear, however: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaked and became playable on PC emulators for several days now, way before the Switch release set for next week.

Does this mean the end for PC emulators, too? The Ryujinx team already responded with a resounding no on their Discord, while the Yuzu developers haven't issued an official statement yet. Needless to say, we'll keep a close eye on any future developments regarding this matter.

Written by Alessio Palumbo