Nintendo Wins $4.5M Pirate Site Lawsuit Against Reddit Mod

Nintendo just scored a major legal win in its ongoing war against Switch piracy — and it's a hefty one.

Nintendo of America (NOA) filed suit back in June 2024 against Reddit user James C. Williams, better known online as "Archbox." Williams ran the piracy-focused subreddit r/SwitchPirates, and now a court has handed down a default judgment ordering him to pay $4.5 million. That's roughly 30.2 million yuan, if you're keeping score at home.

Why a default judgment? Simple — Williams never responded to the lawsuit. Not once. So the court ruled in Nintendo's favor, and the company walked away with the full amount it asked for.

But the money is only part of it. According to court documents, Williams is now required to shut down any online "shops" he operates or controls that offer pirated Nintendo Switch game downloads. He also has to delete all social media accounts tied to his piracy activities. On top of that, he's permanently barred from distributing, promoting, selling, or spreading Nintendo's software and hardware in any form.

In its original complaint, Nintendo didn't hold back. The company said Williams' actions — pirating Switch games, promoting and distributing them online, and selling software designed to bypass technical protection measures — had damaged its business and, just as importantly, the livelihoods of countless developers, artists, and programmers who depend on legitimate sales. Nintendo made it clear this lawsuit wasn't just about one guy: it was about standing up for game creators worldwide who rely on honest sales to keep making the games we love.

This case isn't happening in a vacuum, either. Earlier this month, the District Court of The Hague in the Netherlands ruled that selling modding kits like the MIG Switch — devices that let you run pirated games — is illegal in Europe. Those devices are now banned from sale across the region. Nintendo also took the opportunity to remind players to steer clear of modded devices and unauthorized copies, warning that they can mess with your console's normal functions and overall experience.

As of now, Williams hasn't made any public statement about the ruling. The details of this case come from a GamesIndustry.biz report.

So what do you think — is $4.5 million enough to make would-be pirates think twice, or is this just a drop in the bucket for Nintendo? Let us know in the comments.