The makers of the Nintendo Switch emulator Ryujinx pulled the open-source project offline after being contacted by Nintendo. This was announced by one of its developers on Discord on Tuesday. It’s worth noting that this is not the first time a Nintendo Switch emulator has been taken offline in 2024. Earlier in February, Nintendo sued the makers of the popular open source emulator Yuzu, and they later settled for a $2.4 million payout in March.

A representative for Ryujinx posted an update on Discord, stating that Ryujinx’s lead developer, gdkchan, was contacted by Nintendo and offered an agreement to stop working on the project and to wipe it from the internet. While awaiting confirmation on whether he would accept this agreement, the organization was removed, indicating the likely outcome. According to the Ryujinx website, which is still online, the emulator is compatible with over 3,400 games. However, the link to download the program now leads to an empty page, and most other pages such as guides, FAQ, and a compatibility list no longer function. Ryujinx’s Patreon, which has more than 800 members and generates $1,661 per month, is still active at the time of writing.

A Nintendo spokesperson declined to comment and referred Polygon to the Entertainment Software Association for a statement. A representative of the Entertainment Software Association said that the industry is committed to protecting the creativity and hard work of video game developers. Illegal circumvention of copyright protections or copyright piracy stifles innovation and hampers the development of the entertainment experiences enjoyed by millions.

Polygon’s attempts to contact Ryujinx developers were unsuccessful. Several developers posted on the Discord announcement and other channels to express their thoughts on the shutdown. One team member, whose Discord username is metrosexualgarbodor, said that they hoped to have brought joy to those they helped over the years and with the written FAQ. They emphasized that the experience of getting an emulator running and playing a game seamlessly is truly magical and life-changing.

The developer who made the original announcement of the shutdown, riperiperi, also shared several in-progress projects that were set to be released, including mobile Ryujinx ports, allowing players to access Nintendo Switch games on their phones. Alongside others, riperiperi noted that they didn’t intend to stay in Switch emulation but still believed in its importance. They said that the future of game preservation depends on individuals and that one day it might be properly recognized.

While emulators like Ryujinx and Yuzu don’t encourage the use of pirated Nintendo Switch games, they have drawn Nintendo’s ire due to their ability to let players access those games. When The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaked online before its release, download links directed people to Yuzu to play it, as Nintendo alleged in its lawsuit. It stated that the game was downloaded more than 1 million times, and 20% of the download links referred to Yuzu.

Emulators are not solely for playing pirated games. Many people use them to play games they already own on platforms they couldn’t otherwise access. Emulators are also often cited as important for game preservation as they can be the only way to play old games that have been taken offline.

As of October 2, this story has been updated with a statement from the Entertainment Software Association and a note that Nintendo declined to directly comment.