On Reddit, there’s a bustling community dedicated to piracy on the Nintendo Switch with more than 238,000 subscribers and thousands of active users at any given moment. The subreddit encourages fans to support their favorite developers financially, but anyone who frequents it could, in theory, find piracy resources on how to illicitly obtain games for the Nintendo portable. But the Japanese company isn’t just standing by and allowing piracy to happen out in the open. In early October, Nintendo filed a motion against one James “Archbox” Williams, an alleged community leader who copied, distributed, and promoted Nintendo Switch piracy to a wide audience. In retaliation, Nintendo is seeking $4.5 million in damages from Williams.
The number is somewhat speculative, in the sense that Nintendo is not arguing that the company suffered $4.5 million in losses. Rather, it arrived at that number by looking at similar cases, like the one involving Bungie and cheat-makers where the Washington-based company was awarded millions in damages.
“Here, the amount of money sufficient to remedy NOA’s injury would be extremely difficult to quantify; but it is indisputable that such amount would be large,” the filing reads. “Therefore, the money at stake by this Motion is nowhere near an amount that would compensate NOA for the seriousness of Defendants’ conduct.”
The filing claims that Williams sent thousands of messages on Reddit to other users directing them to piracy websites, at times offering technical support for issues fans might encounter while attempting to mod their Switch. Williams reportedly asked for “donations” of Nintendo eShop gift cards in exchange for his services. The Japanese company believes that Williams created, operated, supported, and promoted piracy websites that allowed users to download “extensive” libraries of Nintendo Switch games.
In the lawsuit, Nintendo also says that it attempted to work with Williams by sending a cease and desist letter in March 2024. In it, Nintendo urged Williams to “shut down his pirate shops.” While Williams initially seemed receptive, Nintendo alleges that progress came to a halt as Williams denied involvement with any piracy shop and apparently became “combative.” Eventually, Williams apparently deleted his online posts that could imply culpability.
The Nintendo Switch has long suffered a piracy problem, where tech-savvy users have been able to attain major releases before they are even available on shelves. Franchises from Pokémon to The Legend of Zelda have leaked ahead of their intended schedule. To curtail this phenomenon, Nintendo has increasingly sought litigation against fans who, in its view, are notable figures in the piracy community. Previously, Nintendo has been awarded millions in numerous lawsuits involving pirate websites while also going after hardware hackers and users who sell programs that facilitate piracy. It has also pursued fans who attempted to livestream pirated video games, and people involved with selling or disseminating flash cartridges necessary to pirate video games. In a couple of instances, Nintendo has worked with the FBI to go after pirates, at one point claiming that it experienced $170 million in lost game sales.
Nintendo generally wins lawsuits of this nature, but not without some unexpected twists and consequences. In September 2025, for example, a Switch modder tried to fight Nintendo without an actual lawyer, only to be fined $2 million. Perhaps the most infamous legal battle involved a man named Gary Bowser, who was sent to prison over his involvement with a piracy website. Bowser will likely spend the rest of his life paying Nintendo back over the lawsuit despite beginning monthly payments while still incarcerated. Bowser claimed that Nintendo received $25 checks from him in a rigmarole intended to spook other people from attempting piracy themselves.
In the case involving Williams, Nintendo maintains that the $4.5 million is a conservative figure that is not nearly as punitive as it could be.
“Nintendo has elected not to seek statutory damages for Williams’ DMCA anti-trafficking violations, even though such damages could be several million dollars,” the filing reads. “As a further gesture of reasonableness, NOA also has elected not to pursue recovery of its attorneys’ fees and costs, to which it is entitled,” it continued.
