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Nintendo’s aggressive legal efforts against Switch emulators appear to have claimed another victim. Ruyjinx, one of the most popular emulators for the Nintendo Switch, has seemingly been shut down following a reported agreement between Nintendo and the emulator’s lead developer.
This follows a similar fate for Yuzu, another prominent Switch emulator forced to cease operations in March 2024.
The emulator’s download page no longer contains content, and its GitHub repository has been down. Additionally, there has been no activity on the project’s social media accounts.
A member of the development team, known as ‘ripinperiperi,’ shared information on the project’s Discord server indicating that Nintendo has contacted GDKChan, the lead developer.
Reportedly, Nintendo proposed an arrangement involving discontinuing Ryujinx and removing all associated materials.
This shutdown marks the latest step in Nintendo’s battle against the emulation community. While emulators are technically legal, as they allow users to play games on platforms they don’t own, Nintendo has historically been aggressive in protecting its intellectual property.

The company has used legal pressure, including DMCA takedown requests and lawsuits, to dismantle emulation projects.
Nintendo has not officially confirmed the terms of its report agreement with GDKChan. However, when The Verge contacted Nintendo spokesperson Eddie Garcia, he redirected inquiries to the Entertainment Software Association’s head of public affairs, Aubrey Quinn, who declined to comment on Nintendo’s behalf.
This evasiveness has only fueled speculation that the company’s legal pressure played a decisive role in Ryujinx’s shutdown.
The shutdown of Ryujinx is noteworthy, especially considering its recent technical achievements. The emulator had been making waves in the gaming community for its ability to run popular Nintendo games on personal computers with superior performance compared to the original console.
A prime example was its handling of the latest Zelda title, which reportedly ran more efficiently on Ryujinx than on Nintendo’s hardware. The emulator’s expanding capabilities, including iOS and Android versions, may have prompted Nintendo to take legal action.
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