US court orders Redditor to pay Nintendo £3.4m over Switch piracy
eurogamer.net Sep 26, 2026

US court orders Redditor to pay Nintendo £3.4m over Switch piracy

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

A U.S. District Judge granted Nintendo a £3.4 million ($4.5 million) default judgment against former Reddit moderator James “Archbox” Williams, who ran the r/SwitchPirates forum. Nintendo alleged Williams facilitated unauthorized “shops” offering pirated Switch titles, including 30 major games such as Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Williams failed to respond to the lawsuit, though he had hired counsel to contest a Google subpoena. The court imposed a permanent injunction barring him from distributing or encouraging piracy.

💡 Why It Matters

  • · The ruling sends a clear legal warning that large‑scale piracy networks can face substantial financial penalties and permanent bans, reinforcing copyright enforcement in the gaming industry.