Nintendo shuts down Switch emulator Ryujinx

October 1: Nintendo has gone after another Switch emulator, and this time it’s Ryujinx that’s shutting down.

A statement was shared about the situation on the official Discord channel. Nintendo apparently pressured creator gdkchan and “offered an agreement to stop working on the project, remove the organization and all related assets he’s in control of.” Essentially, that means the emulator is now dead.

Fans began to notice that something was amiss after the Github page for the Ryujinx Switch emulator disappeared. Then just a few minutes ago, the statement was posted on Discord. You can read that in full below.

Yesterday, gdkchan was contacted by Nintendo and offered an agreement to stop working on the project, remove the organization and all related assets he’s in control of. While awaiting confirmation on whether he would take this agreement, the organization has been removed, so I think it’s safe to say what the outcome is. Rather than leave you with only panic and speculation, I decided to write this short message to give some closure.

These words are my own. I don’t want to speak for anyone else here, so just remember that while reading.

Thank you to @everyone who has contributed code, documentation or issue reports to the project. Thank you all for following us throughout the development. I was able to learn a lot of really neat things about games that I love, enjoy them with renewed qualities and in unique circumstances, and I’m sure you all have experiences that are similarly special. I’m extending my own massive thanks to our moderation team, who have been here through some rough circumstances and always found ways to make light of it.

Today’s news follows the situation with Yuzu earlier in the year. At the end of February, Nintendo was looking to sue the emulator’s creators. Shortly after, a settlement was reached and the company earned $2.4 million in damages.

Based on how things have gone, it looks like Nintendo will continue to go after any notable Switch emulators. What do you make of this all? Let us know in the comments.

November 11: Based on registration data, Nintendo appears to have ownership of the Ryujinx website. The company is listed as the registrant contact. The registration status shows that it was updated on November 7.