Nintendo Wins $4.5 Million Default Judgment Against Former Reddit Moderator Over Switch Piracy
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
A US court ordered a former Reddit moderator to pay Nintendo 4.5 million dollars in statutory damages for running an unauthorized network that distributed pirated Switch games.
A US district judge has ordered James Williams, a former moderator of the r/SwitchPirates subreddit known online as Archbox, to pay Nintendo 4.5 million dollars (roughly 3.4 million pounds) in damages. The ruling comes after Williams failed to respond to the copyright infringement lawsuit, which originally targeted him for facilitating a network of unauthorized digital shops that distributed pirated Switch games. Nintendo tracked Williams down using his public Reddit posts back in 2024, continuing the company's aggressive legal strategy against major software piracy operations following actions against emulator developers and individual hackers.
The final penalty breaks down to 150,000 dollars for each of the 30 specific games cited in the complaint, including heavy hitters like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Alongside the multi-million dollar price tag, the judge issued a permanent injunction barring Williams from distributing any pirated Nintendo software or encouraging others to do so. Court documents noted that Williams was clearly aware of the proceedings because he had previously retained counsel to challenge a Google subpoena.
As digital storefronts, proprietary ecosystems, and secure online infrastructures dictate modern gaming, platform holders continue to draw hard legal lines around copyright protection and digital distribution. While community economies and player-run spaces thrive across platforms, cases like this highlight how aggressively major publishers monitor and dismantle underground networks that bypass official digital ownership channels. Reporting by Eurogamer details how this latest judgment closes another chapter in Nintendo's ongoing crackdown on hardware and software piracy.
Tags: Nintendo, Gaming News, PC and Console, Digital Ownership
Original article: Eurogamer