The words “Nintendo” and “lawsuit” are synonymous with each other at this point, as the Japanese company is known for its strict stance on piracy and emulation. This time around, though, the way one particular lawsuit played out against the streamer Jessue “EveryGameGuru” Keighin is a lesson in how bragging can be one’s ultimate demise. According to IGN, the court ordered Keighin to pay $17,500 in damages after streaming pirated games before release.
Piracy And Emulation Remain A Big Issue For Nintendo
While piracy, jailbreaking, and emulation aren’t as big a deal for the Switch 2 yet, the piracy scene for the original Switch console has run rampant for years. Emulation for the handheld device is extremely stable these days, and that obviously opens the door to piracy for many people. With Nintendo having such a heavy-handed approach to the matter, cases like the one of EveryGameGuru pop up all the time. This streamer definitely went too far with the following words:
“You might run a corporation, but I run the streets.”
The above words were said in a letter that the streamer sent directly to Nintendo. He also boasted about having a thousand burner accounts and further stated, “I can do this all day.” Now, I’m not one to defend a multi-billion-dollar company and celebrate them for going after people with lawsuits, but this streamer definitely had it coming. For all the talk about video game preservation, as important as it may be, piracy is illegal, and streaming games before they are even out is something no publisher will turn a blind eye to.
The most absurd thing about this lawsuit is that the streamer wasn’t deemed guilty because of his actions, but because he failed to show up in court. The $17,500 fine was a default judgment. Piracy isn’t just limited to Nintendo’s first-party games, either. Sports games such as Madden 26 and EA FC 26 have also been pirated hundreds of times.
