Nintendo Will Block Your Switch If It Detects Pirated Games
Nintendo hasn’t made it easy to pre-order the Switch 2 – especially due to its pricing decisions. But even if you manage to get your hands on a Switch 2 on launch day, be careful, because Nintendo is ready to ban any Switch device you own if you break its rules—and I’m not talking about cheating in Mario Party.
Rather, Nintendo is particularly concerned about Switch users hacking their systems, using emulators, or pirating Nintendo hardware. These players are the targets of the company’s newfound bloodlust, and they’re not messing around: they’ll steal our games and lose the right to use your console.
Game File’s Steven Totilo noticed the new philosophy on Thursday when Nintendo sent out an email with the subject line: “Updates to Nintendo Account User Agreement and Nintendo Privacy Policy.” Totilo counted more than 100 changes to Nintendo’s Account User Agreement, but the main change was how the company combats modding and piracy. The original agreement states that you are not permitted to “rent, lease, sublicense, publish, copy, modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble all or any part of the Nintendo Account Services” unless you have received approval from Nintendo or are permitted by law. Seems reasonable.
However, the amended agreement is completely different and outlines a whole new reality for users who might consider going against Nintendo’s wishes:
Without limitation, you agree that you shall not (a) publish, copy, modify, reverse engineer, rent, lease, decompile, disassemble, distribute, offer for sale or create derivative works of any portion of the Nintendo Account Services; (b) circumvent, modify, decrypt, disable, interfere with or otherwise circumvent any features or security features of the Nintendo Account Services, including by using any hardware or software that may cause the Nintendo Account Services to operate inconsistently with their documentation and intended use; (c) obtain, install or use any unauthorized copies of the Nintendo Account Services; or (d) use the Nintendo Account Services in any manner other than in accordance with the applicable documentation and intended use, in each case, without the written consent or express permission of Nintendo, or unless otherwise expressly permitted by applicable law. You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with the above restrictions, Nintendo may render the Nintendo Account Services and/or the applicable Nintendo device wholly or partially unusable in whole or in part.
“Unusable” doesn’t necessarily describe how Nintendo plans to proceed when it discovers a player has broken these rules, but it doesn’t bode well for them or their Switch. It appears that Nintendo has the internal ability to block the Switch from working properly if there is evidence of such misconduct.
While this is harsh, it is not all that surprising. In the past, Nintendo certainly hasn’t looked the other way when it comes to piracy. The company was more than happy to ban you from playing online , for example, if they discovered you were playing games illegally—a risk some players took to hack their Switches, even if they weren’t trying to steal their games. (Maybe they just wanted to improve the performance of Tears of the Kingdom before Nintendo came up with an official solution ?)