
Nintendo’s New Anti-Piracy Move: Bricking Switch Consoles Remotely
Nintendo is taking its fight against piracy to the next level. A recent update to the company’s User Agreement reveals that it now reserves the right to permanently disable (or “brick”) a Nintendo Switch console if pirated games or unauthorized modifications are detected.
While the change wasn’t officially announced, journalist Stephen Totilo from Game File discovered it buried in the updated terms. The revised language gives Nintendo stronger legal backing to act against users who run emulators, modified firmware, or pirated games on their consoles.
In its own words, Nintendo warns users not to “bypass, modify, decrypt, defeat, tamper with, or otherwise circumvent any of the functions or protections” of its services. Previously, the agreement only banned reverse engineering or modifying user accounts — but the new wording spells out exactly what constitutes misuse.
Breaking these rules could result in consequences ranging from account bans to rendering the Switch completely unusable — effectively turning it into an expensive paperweight.
This move aligns with Nintendo’s aggressive stance on emulation and piracy. Earlier this year, the company sued the developers behind the popular Switch emulator Yuzu , accusing them of enabling piracy. Shortly after, another major emulator project, Ryujinx , shut down voluntarily after discussions with Nintendo.
With the rumored launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 expected around June 5 , this updated policy may be part of a broader strategy to tighten control over the platform and protect its intellectual property.