Nintendo has filed a lawsut against the creators of Yuzu, the popular Nintendo Switch emulator announced back in 2018.

The new lawsuit (here in full, via Game File) was filed in the district of Rhode Island, noting the Yuzu emulation software illegally circumvents their software encryption, and facilitates piracy.

Lawyers representing Nintendo went on to note in the lawsuit that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was downloaded over 1 million times before its official launch, and that Yuzu’s Patreon (which they use for support to develop the emulator) doubled during that time.

The main argument Nintendo / their lawyers are making is that Yuzu’s development and business model helps garner piracy, and they’re seeking damages for alleged violations of their copyright. They also want the emulator to be shut down entirely.

Nintendo alleges in the lawsuit that there is “no lawful way to use Yuzu to play Nintendo Switch games”, as the emulator requires the decrypting of the game’s encryption, protection used so the games can only be used on genuine Switch hardware.

It remains unclear why Nintendo hasn’t acted on the folks behind the Yuzu emulator until now. The company previously filed copyright claims against another Switch emulator, Skyline, which ultimately got cancelled. It’s possible the paid Android version of Yuzu got the ire of Nintendo, in comparison.

This is Niche Gamer Tech. In this column, we regularly cover tech and things related to the tech industry.