“Too late”: Community scoffs at Nintendo’s GitHub crackdown on emulators and modchips

Just recently, Nintendo dealt homebrew enthusiasts a blow by patching a jailbreak exploit in a Switch update. But the company's fight against efforts to bypass the Switch's copy protection is far from over. According to TorrentFreak, a website specializing in file sharing and copyright issues, Nintendo sent four takedown notices to GitHub on November 6. The targets include the Switch emulators Yuzu and Citron Neo, as well as software for so-called modchips.

Modchip software accounts for the largest share of the crackdown, with GitHub disabling 144 related repositories, including copies and forks. Nintendo accuses those distributing the software of enabling users to play pirated games. Another 71 repositories associated with Citron Neo were also affected. Meanwhile, the operator of two additional Yuzu forks has since removed the code voluntarily. However, that doesn't mean the software has disappeared entirely. On Wednesday, TorrentFreak found additional copies of the modchip software on GitHub that were still accessible. The takedowns therefore affect numerous publicly available copies, but they don't spell the end of the projects or their availability.

Community confident: Nintendo is "way too late"

Users of Switch emulators and modchips for the Switch 2 (currently available on Amazon for $620) seem largely unimpressed by Nintendo's GitHub crackdown. In a recent community discussion, many argue that Nintendo has already lost the battle against the spread of this software. "Waaay too late for that," reads the most upvoted comment. Users point to previous action against Yuzu, which apparently failed to stop its spread, and assume that any deleted content will simply reappear elsewhere. Anyone who wants to share their own thoughts on the matter is welcome to join the discussion in the comments below.