Developer of the popular Nintendo DS emulator Drastic has just made its app completely free on Android (formerly $4.99) and he’s going to take it down for good. Exophase wrote on the official Discord that “I want to make it clear that I have no financial incentive” and that Nintendo’s move just “made the whole process more urgent”:
Meanwhile, the popular Discord server for Steam Deck has shut down the entire emulation channel, at least temporarily, saying “We are not currently equipped to deal with the potential legal ramifications of discussing or impersonating Yuzu” and censoring “we apologize for this.” .
When I went to search the Discord server for Ryujinx, another Nintendo Switch emulator, I found that it no longer accepts invites. The Verge and Ars Technica we both reached out to Ryujinx for comment on Yuzu’s claim, but we have yet to hear back.
Another secondary effect: without Yuzu and Citra, all-in-one emulation providers like the popular EmuDeck have to look elsewhere for mainstream emulators. EmuDeck returns to Ryujinx for Nintendo Switch emulation and tests Panda3DS instead of Citra:
If you see or hear of any other repercussions related to Nintendo’s lawsuit and Yuzu’s bankruptcy, please contact me at sean@theverge.com. We would like to explain if and how the scene has changed.