Struck-down Switch emulator Yuzu has been resurrected as 'Suyu', and its devs are convinced this one can avoid a Nintendo lawsuit

Mar. 12, 2024

A new Switch emulator is in the works, and its team is taking some extra steps to try and avoid legal trouble

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Last week, the popular Nintendo Switch emulatorYuzu was taken down after Nintendo filed a lawsuitagainst developer Tropic Haze, which ended up agreeing to a $2.4 million settlement. Despite this, the developers behind an upcoming replacement emulator, ‘Suyu,’ seem confident that they can avoid a similar outcome.

After Yuzu’s shutdown, it was only a matter ofhours before replacements began flooding the internetin an attempt to take the emulator’s place. These came despite Nintendo making its stance against emulation very clear, with its official Intellectual Property and Piracy frequently asked questionspagestating that it’s forbidden to download older games that aren’t sold anymore, ROMs of games you already own, and make backup copies of your games. Specifically regarding emulation, it notes: “While we recognize the passion that players have for classic games, supporting emulation also supports the illegal piracy of our products.”

Even so, the team behind Suyu is doing its best to avoid ending up in the same trouble that Yuzu did, after allegedly consulting someone who’s been to law school for legal advice. Speaking toArs Technica, one of the emulator’s contributors reveals that Suyu won’t be monetized, won’t provide guides to help users play games, and, furthermore, it’s taking a strict anti-piracy stance. Tying into this, users will supposedly be required to use real game keys from titles they own and have paid for, as well as the firmware from their Switch. However, it was noted by the contributor that there’s no way for the emulator to verify for certain that these are obtained legitimately.

It’s worth noting that following the lawsuit, the team behind Yuzu also expressed a strong anti-piracy stance, and said that it had “always been against piracy” and was “not intending to cause harm.” It added: “Piracy was never our intention, and we believe that piracy of video games and on video games consoles should end.”

With that in mind, it’s not clear if Suyu’s anti-piracy stance will help it avoid legal trouble. Again, Nintendo has previously made it clear that making backups of games you already own is not permitted, so it still doesn’t sound like the company will be a huge fan of this emulator, either. We’ll just have to watch this space to see if it’ll end up following in its predecessor Yuzu’s footsteps.

If you’re looking for more games to play on your Nintendo Switch, you can check out our recommendations for thebest Nintendo Switch games.

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I’m one of GamesRadar+’s news writers, who works alongside the rest of the news team to deliver cool gaming stories that we love. After spending more hours than I can count filling The University of Sheffield’s student newspaper with Pokemon and indie game content, and picking up a degree in Journalism Studies, I started my career at GAMINGbible where I worked as a journalist for over a year and a half. I then became TechRadar Gaming’s news writer, where I sourced stories and wrote about all sorts of intriguing topics. In my spare time, you’re sure to find me on my Nintendo Switch or PS5 playing through story-driven RPGs like Xenoblade Chronicles and Persona 5 Royal, nuzlocking old Pokemon games, or going for a Victory Royale in Fortnite.

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