Nintendo Reiterates Stance on Emulation, Citing Zero Tolerance

Nintendo's IP department general manager, Koji Nishiura, a patent attorney, recently delivered a lecture at the Tokyo eSports Festa 2025, shedding light on the company's stance on emulation. He emphasized that while emulation software is not illegal per se, its use can render it so. For example, if an emulator facilitates the copying of a title or directs users to sites hosting pirated games, it constitutes copyright infringement. Moreover, disabling game encryption or technical protection measures violates Japan's Unfair Competition Prevention Act. Nishiura noted that Nintendo's primary concern is combating emulation creators, such as Yuzu, to safeguard not only its own intellectual property but also that of other developers producing games for Nintendo hardware.