In what could possibly be the worst way to start October for emulation enthusiasts, as of just a few minutes ago the Ryujinx repository appears to be down, with the usual "404" message being given when trying to enter any of their related GitHub pages. Not even the main Ryujinx developer account seems to be active.

Currently there hasn't been any official reports as to why this occurred. None of the official social media accounts for the emulator have given any response, nor has any of the developers talked about why the repository is down, but we'll be sure to keep you updated whenever any new developments towards this situation are known.

UPDATE #1: Given the nature of the page being down with a 404 message, it's possible that this could be related to the removal of the Ryujinx account, and not a DMCA. If the repository suffered from a DMCA claim, then the DMCA notice would appear when entering the repository. However, that is not the case, and the DMCA listings from GitHub doesn't have any recent entries for Ryujinx.

UPDATE #2: The Ryujinx Discord server has paused invites for the moment, and additionally, one of the Discord mods posted the following message:
"To clarify, it's not a DMCA, it's not an issue with GitHub. Please wait for further information and refrain from spreading misinfo thanks."

UPDATE #3: According to an official statement on Ryujinx's Discord server, developer gdkchan was contacted by Nintendo and they were offered an agreement to stop working on the emulator project, and while the agreement wasn't confirmed yet, the organization has been entirely removed.

UPDATE #4: According to other devs, the developer was not only contacted, but actually tracked down by Nintendo to his location, and pressured to developer to cease and abandon development altogether for the emulator.

This marks now the 2nd and only main remaining Switch emulator that Nintendo has taken down as of today, and without any proper and clear protection when it comes to emulation and preservation down the road, it's likely that Nintendo will continue on its efforts to bring down emulation as a whole.

Ryujinx GitHub Repository

 

[smf]

Aren't emulators legal?

Emulation can be legal, but it doesn't have immunity from prosecution.

The case that people think is relevant is sony vs connectix, but they didn't use any copyrighted operating system at all, used original cd's that had been legally purchased and there was no DRM that was protected by the DMCA.

It's like saying that kitchen knives are legal, so you should be able to go round in public stabbing people with them. Because knives are legal.

Nobody has been stupid enough to fight a legal battle since DMCA was introduced, Yuzu made millions out of all you schmucks and settled because they knew they couldn't win.

 

[Mr_Marr]

I don't know why gdkchan didn't say anything about this incident. If Ryujinx was really legal, gdkchan could have told us what happened between him and Nintendo. I think he could have clarified the facts (and dispelled the rumors).

If the emulator was legal, then he did nothing wrong, so there is no risk in telling us.

Nintendo could have paid him and made him sign a contract so he can't speak about it. It will come out eventually.

 

[ikynx]

Nintendo could have paid him and made him sign a contract so he can't speak about it. It will come out eventually.

Yup sounds like a big payout check tonkill the project, and/or get the devs on its payroll, or even Nintendo bought code exclusivity, to merge it with the one seized from yuzu, and make an in-house emu either for future hardware retrocompatibility or for a future GaaS service.

 

[doorbell8423]

.

 

[BlusterBong]

Monopoly that their games can be played exclusively on their systems.

...You do realize Game Exclusivity used to be one of the major things in older consoles like the PS3/XB360 era before Microsoft and Sony shot themselves in the foot by ethier giving up exclusives entirety or not even making enough exclusives to justify buying the console in on itself?

 

[ChibiMofo]

... before Microsoft and Sony shot themselves in the foot by ethier giving up exclusives entirety

Read as: "Increased profits significantly by making their games more widely available and stopped wasting money paying other devs to make their games exclusive."

 

[NinStar]

...You do realize Game Exclusivity used to be one of the major things in older consoles like the PS3/XB360 era before Microsoft and Sony shot themselves in the foot by ethier giving up exclusives entirety or not even making enough exclusives to justify buying the console in on itself?

Doesn't change what Metoroid0 said.

In my opinion game exclusivity is bad for everyone, the "least worst" scenario is when an exclusive game is developed and published by the same company that owns the platform, but when it is one company paying another one to make a game exclusive to a platform it is 100% a monopoly in my definition.

 

[Jayinem]

Doesn't change what Metoroid0 said.

In my opinion game exclusivity is bad for everyone, the "least worst" scenario is when an exclusive game is developed and published by the same company that owns the platform, but when it is one company paying another one to make a game exclusive to a platform it is 100% a monopoly in my definition.

That's like saying McDonalds shouldn't have Big Macs. If Nintendo didn't have exclusive games they would have had to stop making consoles several generations ago like Sega. The whole appeal for buying their console is their first party games. No one buys a Nintendo console because they want to play a third party game on an inferior system.

Be careful what you wish for because what you want is one console that plays every game, that would give whoever makes that console a monopoly. They want to charge $100 for a game you can either buy it or not play it, can't get it elsewhere. They want to charge $1000 for their digital only console, nothing you can do.

Post automatically merged: Oct 6, 2024

Monopoly that their games can be played exclusively on their systems.

That's not what a Monopoly is.

 

[spinal_cord]

Aren't emulators legal? How do they keep intimidating people into these takedowns? Why can't they just slam the door in Nintendo's face?

Emulators are legal (usually) but 99.9% of emulator users do not backup their own games using their own equipment, they download them from somewhere, that is illegal. So just the act of having emulator in development encourages people to break copyright laws.

Taking down emulators has very little to do with Nintendos direct profits from selling games, it has more to do with encouraging developers to publish on their system.
If you were a large game developer and Nintendo effectivly said "publish on our console and your game will be pirated to hell", you wouldn't release your game for Nintendo consoles. However, if Nintendo say to you "We continually actively shut down emulation and piracy websites", they you are more likely to trust releasing on a Nintendo console.

Doesn't change what Metoroid0 said.

In my opinion game exclusivity is bad for everyone, the "least worst" scenario is when an exclusive game is developed and published by the same company that owns the platform, but when it is one company paying another one to make a game exclusive to a platform it is 100% a monopoly in my definition.

Nope, a monopoly would be Nintendo owning the rights to most of the video game industry. Owning the rights to their own games on their own systems is just business.
Paying a developer for exclusivity happens in EVERY sector of entertainment. Newspapers get exlusive rights to first hand interviews, tv stations get exclusive rights to football games or boxing matches etc. nothing wrong with that.

 

[NinStar]

Be careful what you wish for because what you want is one console that plays every game, that would give whoever makes that console a monopoly. They want to charge $100 for a game you can either buy it or not play it, can't get it elsewhere.

No exclusive games doesn't equal having a single platform.

Also, wouldn't this:

They want to charge $100 for a game you can either buy it or not play it, can't get it elsewhere.

Literally apply to something like this?

The whole appeal for buying their console is their first party games. No one buys a Nintendo console because they want to play a third party game on an inferior system.

There is no such thing as "can't get it elsewhere" with cross-plaftorm games, they are literally the opposite of exclusives.

 

[Bladexdsl]

fuck all the consoles everything should be just on pc now

 

[Jayinem]

No exclusive games doesn't equal having a single platform.

Also, wouldn't this:

Literally apply to something like this?

There is no such thing as "can't get it elsewhere" with cross-plaftorm games, they are literally the opposite of exclusives.

As I stated, Nintendo would go out of the console business if they didn't have exclusives.

So you have Sony and Microsoft left, both greedy console makers. Sure you have two but you'd have digital only and they'll match whatever the other's price is. It's called fixed price competition, yes there's more than one but they're going to charge you the same as the other so you can't get mad at one and go to the other.

You can cry all you want about exclusives but they are allowed to have them. Nintendo made the game and put it on their own console, who are you to say they're doing something wrong? Any company making their own product is allowed to do that, and no law would ever change to stop it.

And no I'm not some NIntendo fanboy I am pissed off at them for suing everybody, but crying about exclusives just because you don't want to buy a certain console yet you want the games is pointless.

It's like wanting to eat at one restaurant but expecting that restaurant to add foods you like from other restaurants, on what planet.

 

[subcon959]

It's really interesting that there seems to be an overlap of people who apparently hate exclusivity and yet love to state the PS5 has no games. So which is it? Would the PS5 be better with more exclusives or not? It's obviously what made the Switch so successful.

 

[Pizzapalooza]

Nintendo as a company is a huge a-hole. I'm personally opposed to pirating Switch games, but the big N shutting down emulators even if they weren't supporting or encouraging piracy is ridiculous.

 

[doorbell8423]

.

 

[Jayinem]

its monopoly essentially

So do you complain that McDonalds has a monopoly on Big Macs? I don't care if you don't eat McDonalds I don't either the point is in anything in life companies have a right to sell products that THEY MAKE, what gives you any right to complain about it?

Let's say you started a business wouldn't you want the right to sell products that you made exclusively and not be told by the Government no you have to let other companies sell your product too. Monopoly is when you're controlling an entire industry, like if only one company was the only one producing consoles that would be a monopoly. Because there's hundreds of games being released it is not a monopoly for NIntendo to make games and put them on their own consoles.

 

[NinStar]

As I stated, Nintendo would go out of the console business if they didn't have exclusives.

So you have Sony and Microsoft left, both greedy console makers. Sure you have two but you'd have digital only and they'll match whatever the other's price is. It's called fixed price competition, yes there's more than one but they're going to charge you the same as the other so you can't get mad at one and go to the other.

You can cry all you want about exclusives but they are allowed to have them. Nintendo made the game and put it on their own console, who are you to say they're doing something wrong? Any company making their own product is allowed to do that, and no law would ever change to stop it.

And no I'm not some NIntendo fanboy I am pissed off at them for suing everybody, but crying about exclusives just because you don't want to buy a certain console yet you want the games is pointless.

It's like wanting to eat at one restaurant but expecting that restaurant to add foods you like from other restaurants, on what planet.

All I stated is that paying other companies to have their games as exclusives is a monopoly to me, I never stated "Nintendo is not allowed to have exclusives" and nowhere I said that there should be a law against them doing whatever they want with their own games, so I don't know what you are rambling about. In my opinion it is still bad for everyone, but it is with their own developed games so whatever.

Also, I don't think you realize your argument about pricing isn't really relevant, I just pointed that out because the exact same thing can happen to exclusives and they have even more reasons to release/keep them at higher prices compared to cross-platform games.

 

[Lostbhoy]

29 pages and we ball deep into the ethics of corporate monopolies and strategies now!

One would think we have wandered way off the beaten path of the thread title.

 

[Moe87]

As I stated, Nintendo would go out of the console business if they didn't have exclusives.

So you have Sony and Microsoft left, both greedy console makers. Sure you have two but you'd have digital only and they'll match whatever the other's price is. It's called fixed price competition, yes there's more than one but they're going to charge you the same as the other so you can't get mad at one and go to the other.

You can cry all you want about exclusives but they are allowed to have them. Nintendo made the game and put it on their own console, who are you to say they're doing something wrong? Any company making their own product is allowed to do that, and no law would ever change to stop it.

And no I'm not some NIntendo fanboy I am pissed off at them for suing everybody, but crying about exclusives just because you don't want to buy a certain console yet you want the games is pointless.

It's like wanting to eat at one restaurant but expecting that restaurant to add foods you like from other restaurants, on what planet.

Well said, agreed with you. Nintendo helped to recover from video game crash by released NES and it was successful. If it wasn't for NES, console market would be stagnate and much less interest by 1990s and after.

I'm not fan of Nintendo went after emulator maker, but I rather to have Nintendo exist to compete with evil Sony and MS.

I saw news about Chicken Big Mac is coming, lol.

 

[M7L7NK7]

29 pages and we ball deep into the ethics of corporate monopolies and strategies now!

One would think we have wandered way off the beaten path of the thread title.

Discussions evolve