Reddit’s r/SwitchPirates forum — a large, active community with more than 238,000 members — openly discusses Nintendo Switch modifications and, at times, how to obtain games outside official channels. While many participants encourage supporting developers financially, the subreddit can also serve as a hub where users share piracy tools and links. In early October, Nintendo filed a civil motion against James “Archbox” Williams, accusing him of organizing, distributing, and promoting Switch piracy; the company is asking the court to award $4.5 million in damages. Read the filing.
Nintendo’s $4.5 million figure is not presented as an exact calculation of lost sales. Instead, the company arrived at that sum by referencing outcomes in comparable cases — for example, litigation against makers of cheating software where plaintiffs have received multi-million-dollar awards.
According to the complaint, Williams allegedly posted thousands of messages on Reddit directing users to piracy sites, offered technical support for Mod-related issues, and solicited “donations” in the form of Nintendo eShop gift cards for his assistance. Nintendo alleges he created and promoted websites that enabled users to download extensive libraries of Switch titles.
The suit also recounts Nintendo’s attempts at informal resolution. In March 2024 the company reportedly sent a cease-and-desist urging Williams to close his alleged piracy operations; while early communications appeared cooperative, Nintendo says Williams later denied involvement and removed posts that might have implicated him.
Piracy has long plagued the Nintendo Switch ecosystem: advanced users have leaked major releases — from Pokémon to The Legend of Zelda — before retail release. To combat that trend, Nintendo has increasingly relied on litigation, pursuing website operators, sellers of circumvention hardware and software, and individuals who livestream pirated games. The company has previously won sizable judgments in suits against pirate sites and has in some instances worked with law enforcement, alleging substantial lost sales in the process. Kotaku covered efforts against livestreamed piracy, and reported on prosecutions related to flash cartridges and ROM distribution. Other reporting details past cooperation with authorities and claims of large estimated losses.
Nintendo’s suits have sometimes produced dramatic results: a recent modder fought the company without retained counsel and faced a multi-million-dollar penalty, and the high-profile prosecution of Gary Bowser resulted in prison time and a lengthy restitution order. Kotaku reported on the modder’s case, and The Guardian detailed Bowser’s prosecution and restitution.
In its filing against Williams, Nintendo states that the $4.5 million request is conservative and notes it declined to pursue additional remedies it could have sought under the DMCA or by recovering attorneys’ fees — actions the company describes as gestures of proportionality in this matter.
Source: Polygon
