In brief: Nintendo is once again trying to crack down on rampant piracy on the Switch. This time, the company is targeting GitHub by forcing the Microsoft-owned service to remove several pages hosting potentially infringing tools and code.
A few years ago, Nintendo tried and ultimately failed to stop commercial ventures from selling modchips for the Switch. The company prosecuted Gary Bowser and other members of the Team Xecuter group, but the hardware is still available through third-party organizations and websites. This is why Nintendo is now changing its strategy, shifting its attention from modchip manufacturers to firmware repositories designed to enhance the chips' behavior and capabilities.
According to a recently published DMCA notice, Nintendo targeted a network of 144 repositories, including parent repositories and forks. The now-removed pages provided access to firmware images designed to run on popular Switch modchip models, including SX Core, SX Lite, Picofly, and Hwfly.
These firmware releases gave users a way to circumvent Nintendo's technological protection measures, allowing modified consoles to run unauthorized copies of Switch games. In particular, Nintendo explained that the firmware versions could bypass a console's boot sequence.
Nintendo specifically named several TPM-protected games it aims to safeguard, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. While the GitHub pages appear to be gone for good, the modchip firmware images can still be downloaded from other online sources. Furthermore, curious users can still access the removed pages thanks to Internet Archive's backups.
In fact, Nintendo might end up shooting itself in the foot, much like it has done on several occasions over the years. People interested in modding their consoles will likely continue seeking out specialized hardware solutions, while Switch emulation continues to flourish and pushes the entire community toward previously unthinkable technical milestones.
For example, Nintendo tried to kill Switch emulation on PC by targeting the Yuzu team. But Yuzu offspring such as Suyu, Eden, and competing projects such as Ryujinx/Ryubing are still actively being developed with no end in sight. What's more, generative AI-powered tools have started to target Switch 2 emulation with major game releases that are already playable on mid-tier PC systems.