Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against the maker of a popular Switch emulator that could have impacts far beyond just a single program.

The lawsuit, filed yesterday and discovered by Axios games writer Stephen Totilo, is against Tropic Haze LLC, the legal entity whose products include the popular Yuzu Switch emulator (as well as the popular 3DS emulator Citra). Nintendo's suit alleges the following:

• The emulator uses product keys illegally obtained from Switch consoles to run retail and digital Switch games
• The company profits from the use of the illegal keys and games (although the emulator is free, it does receive money via Patreon)
• The company actively promotes piracy of Switch games, including boosting a claim that over a million people played The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom using Yuzu prior to the game's release last May (and paying membership in the Patreon doubled in the same timeframe) alongside the existence of a "Yuzu Piracy" sub-Reddit
• Developers of the emulator frequently sent pirated Switch games for the purpose of "testing"

Nintendo cites three different cases as precedent for the shutdown, and is seeking a jury trial. If granted and if the ruling is in Nintendo's favor, penalties are requested to include the shutdown of Yuzu, damages equal to $2500 per user + $150,000 per pirated game, and a blanket ban of the principals from Discord.