For those unfamiliar, Yuzu was a Nintendo Switch emulator.
In other words, it allowed you to play Switch games directly on your computer.
Of course, to do this legally, you would need to own a Nintendo Switch console and purchase the games you wish to play.
Then, through various tools, you would download the operating system and games onto your computer.
Personally, I adore Nintendo games; one of my favorites is Zelda. Their Super Mario titles are also incredibly well-crafted, but I can't say the same for their policies.
Nintendo is one of the few (if not the only) companies that are so strict when it comes to their intellectual property.
So strict, in fact, that they take down mods and YouTube videos, something that should actually benefit them by making their games even more popular and played.
How and why, though, did Yuzu manage to survive for so long, a full 6 years?
The reason lies in the fact that emulators are not inherently illegal.
It took Nintendo some time to gather enough reasons to pursue legal action against Yuzu.
Well, it seems they finally found them.
What I failed to mention is that in order to use Yuzu, besides downloading the operating system and games onto your computer, you also need to download a special file with a decryption key. It's crucial for you to be able to use the emulator at all. Obtaining this file turns out to be a compromise of their DRM, which in turn is illegal.
This is one of their main arguments.
Another is that Yuzu contributes significantly to the widespread piracy of their games, which I'm not sure where they got that information from or how exactly they prove it in court.
Ultimately, quite a few people, myself included, were expecting Yuzu to win the case.
Unfortunately, just about a week later, news came out that they reached a settlement.
Yuzu will pay Nintendo $2.4 million for damages and will also have to cease their operations.
Alongside Yuzu, Citra, which emulated the Nintendo 3DS and shared the same developers, also meets its end.
Now, when you visit the website of either emulator, you'll see the following message:
The good news is that the discontinuation of the emulator is happening just now, 6 years later, when the Nintendo Switch is nearing the end of its life.
Nothing stops you from using the versions that have been available on the internet until now.
Additionally, there's another emulator called Ryujinx, which seems to be safe for now.
The question is whether what's happening sets a precedent that other companies, like Sony, might follow, and emulators for PlayStation could meet the same fate as Yuzu.
Let's hope, of course, that this doesn't happen.
Nintendo
Switch
Nintendo Switch
Emulator
Yuzu
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