A Ryujinx representative posted an update on Discord claiming that Ryujinx’s lead developer, gdkchan, had been “contacted by Nintendo and offered an agreement to stop working on the project” and wipe it from the internet. “Pending confirmation on whether he would accept this deal, the organization has been removed, so I think it is safe to say what the outcome is,” wrote the representative, who uses online rijpiperi. Like Yuzu, Ryujinx is a program that allows people to play Nintendo Switch games on Windows PC, macOS, and Linux systems. The emulator is compatible with more than 3,400 games, according to the Ryujinx website, which is still online. the link to download the program now goes to an empty page. Most other pages, such as manuals, FAQs, and compatibility list, no longer work. Ryuujinx’s Patreonwhere it has over 800 members and earns $1,661 per month, is still active at the time of writing.
Polygon has contacted Nintendo for more information. Polygon’s attempts to contact Ryujinx developers have been unsuccessful.
Several developers posted on Discord’s announcement and other channels to speak about the shutdown. “I hope I was able to bring some joy to the people I’ve helped over the years or with the (now gone) FAQ I wrote,” wrote one team member, whose Discord username is metrosexualgarbodor. “The first time you get an emulator up and running on a PC, then play an entire game and forget you’re emulating it, is a truly magical experience, and for me it was life-changing.”
The developer who posted the original closure announcement, rijpiperi, also shared several ongoing projects that were expected to be released, including mobile Ryujinx ports – meaning players would have been able to access Nintendo Switch games on their phones. Riperiperi, along with others, also noted that they do not plan to stay in Switch emulation, although they still believe in its importance. “The future of game preservation depends on individuals, and perhaps one day it will be properly recognized,” they wrote.
While emulators like Ryujinx and Yuzu don’t encourage the use of pirated Nintendo Switch games, they have drawn Nintendo’s ire for allowing players access to those games. When The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Leaked online before release, download links directed people to Yuza to play it, Nintendo said in its lawsuit — it claims the game has been downloaded more than 1 million times and that 20% of download links pointed to Yuzu.
Emulators aren’t necessarily just for playing pirated games; many people use them to play games they already own, but on a platform they otherwise couldn’t. Emulators are also often cited as important for game preservation; it can often be the only way to play old games that have been taken offline.