Nintendo Suing Known Switch Pirate For $4.5 Million

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On October 3rd, Nintendo asked a court to order James “Archbox” Williams, who is known for distributing illegally copied Switch games, to pay $4.5 million in damages. Nintendo claims Williams runs websites offering pirated games and hasn’t responded to their lawsuit. They’ve requested the court in Seattle to make a ruling on the matter.

The legal issues with Williams began in 2024 when Nintendo sued him for selling and distributing illegally copied Nintendo Switch games. Nintendo claimed Williams used websites known as “pirate shops” to run his business. He was also a moderator for the SwitchPirates subreddit, which helped Nintendo identify him. The company tracked him down to his home in the Phoenix, Arizona area using information from his social media and Nintendo console repair records. After Nintendo officially notified him of the lawsuit, Williams didn’t respond in court, resulting in a judgment being automatically granted in Nintendo’s favor.

Nintendo Requests $4.5 Million in Damages From Archbox

Nintendo continues its fight against piracy, recently seeking a $4.5 million judgment against a man named Williams. This follows a $2 million settlement they won earlier in 2025 against Modded Hardware. Nintendo filed a motion with a Washington state court, arguing Williams hasn’t responded to their lawsuit despite having a lawyer. They claim he only retained counsel to potentially challenge subpoenas. Since Williams hasn’t contested a default judgment issued last November, Nintendo believes they are entitled to financial damages. A hearing on Nintendo’s motion is scheduled for October 24th.

Nintendo continues its fight against video game piracy with a new lawsuit. This follows the FBI’s recent shutdown of NSw2u, a major online source of illegal Switch games and ROMs, after it operated for five years. The FBI worked with Dutch investigators from the FIOD to take down the site, and confirmed their collaboration shortly after. It’s currently unknown whether Nintendo directly participated in the NSw2u takedown.

Nintendo doesn’t just fight piracy with lawsuits. They can also remotely disable Switch 2 consoles if they detect unauthorized modifications or piracy. Now that the Switch 2 has been available for five months, it remains to be seen what further steps Nintendo will take to safeguard its games and technology.

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2025-10-05 23:08