Top Nintendo Switch piracy subreddit banned after 3 years (2024)

FAQs

Is switch piracy illegal? ›

Online piracy and counterfeiting of Nintendo's video game products is illegal. We hope to enlist your support for intellectual property protection and, with your help, reduce video game piracy worldwide. We appreciate your support in the battle against piracy.

Most importantly, game developers and publishers depend on the legitimate sales of their games in order to survive. Piracy discourages innovation and new game development which ultimately impacts the consumer.

The Switch however, will not play a pirated game and you'll likely lose your Switch account, making it impossible to download games. You'd only be able to play offline any games already downloaded to the system or game cards you've already bought.

That's illegal but you'll never get caught for it. But if you start selling pirated games and made profit from it, you can face civil or even criminal charges. For example, Gary Bowser was arrested in late 2020 for selling Switch modchips and he got sued by Nintendo for $10 million.

Nintendo seeks maximum statutory damages of $150,000 for each copyright infringed, $2,500 for each act of circumvention, and $2,500 for each act of offering circumvention technology to the public, as well as attorneys' fees and full costs.

No, it is not "OK." Theft is still theft. If, however, you had already purchased this game in the past, then I'd be much more supportive. (There's often official support/approval for this, too, by the IP owners.)

It is illegal to import, market, sell or distribute circumvention devices (such as game copiers, USB piracy sticks and mod chips). Nintendo has obtained many decisions from criminal and civil courts across the world that confirms this.

Piracy isn't dying in a sense that people don't want to crack games. It's less relevant now in some games because of the online requirement of the game. Single player offline games are going to get cracked every time.

Not all Nintendo Switches can be hacked. Newer models, as well as Nintendo Switch Lite and OLED models, have been patched to prevent hacking.

One of the most significant risks of jailbreaking a Nintendo Switch is the possibility of rendering your console inoperable or "bricked." A bricked console becomes entirely non-functional, leaving you with a device that essentially becomes an expensive paperweight.

How to legally download Switch games? ›

Emulation software itself is not inherently illegal, as shown by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case Sony Computer Entertainment v. Connectix Corporation in 2000.

Penalties for Piracy

Maximum penalties for misdemeanor copyright infringement are one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Maximum penalties for felony copyright infringement generally are: Commercial advantage or private financial gain: five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Using the device's serial number

Although the Nintendo Switch lacks GPS tracking built-in, knowing how to use its serial number will help law enforcement in their attempts to retrieve your system. Report the theft to local law enforcement immediately.

Why is it illegal to jailbreak a video game console? Many people incorrectly assume that since they own the device, they are free to do with it as they please. However, according to U.S. law, while you own the physical hardware, you are only licensing the code contained within the system—it's not yours to alter.