We said that the MIG switch would cause trouble when we reported on it earlier this year, and it seems that Nintendo has finally brought the hammer down on Modded Hardware in the form of a hefty lawsuit. The lawsuits are in relation to Switch piracy, with Modded Hardware selling MIG Switch devices as well as pre-modded Switch Consoles complete with games, while another has been filed with Archbox for essentially facilitating a black-market Switch network through Reddit.
Nintendo’s hybrid hero has certainly had a lot of airtime recently after the Japanese company took down Yuzu and slapped the emulator makers with a huge fine, though it seems that it still wasn’t enough to knock piracy on the head for good.
According to TorrentFreak, it seems that Nintendo and Modded Hardware reached an agreement that all of the company’s shady business would stop and that they would cease selling MIG devices, reportedly created by Team Xecuter, and modded consoles made via mail-in submission of existing Switches.
Homebrew Homie, the owner of Modded Hardware, went back on the agreement and has been searching for a new lawyer to try and battle Nintendo. But, like the cute little penguins battling Bowser at the beginning of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, they really don’t stand a chance against the Japanese gaming giants. As you can imagine, Homebrew Homie is set to get a fine that will no doubt be similar to the payout Yuzu has had to make if they don’t stop immediately… or maybe it’s too late either way.
Taking Down r/SwitchPirates
Archbox has amassed an audience of over 190,000 members on Reddit and has been a hub for people wanting to access pirated versions of games. The moderator hasn’t made any bones about hiding their love of piracy on the platform, making it very clear that they wouldn’t be giving Nintendo $50 for their games, and instead has run shops giving copies to the public on various social media and messaging platforms to avoid detection from Nintendo.
Like the lawsuit against Modded Hardware, the fines for Archbox could potentially be astronomical, with Nintendo hoping that this will yet again be enough to stop people tinkering with their latest console. Time will tell whether these latest lawsuits will be enough to put people off following in Modded Hardware and Archbox’s footsteps; Nintendo is a company that I love wholeheartedly, but I definitely wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of their lawyers!
