Nintendo Awarded $4.5 Million in Default Judgment Against Switch Piracy Subreddit Moderator

Nintendo has won its lawsuit against James Williams, an alleged distributor of pirated Nintendo Switch games and a moderator of the r/SwitchPirates subreddit. A court awarded Nintendo a $4.5 million default judgment after Williams failed to respond to the case at all.

What the ruling says

According to court documents first reported by Aftermath, Nintendo secured the default judgment because Williams never appeared in court to contest the claims. A default judgment is issued when a defendant does not respond, which means the court rules in the plaintiff’s favor without a full trial. In addition to the $4.5 million award, the ruling orders Williams to take down any websites he operates that distribute pirated Nintendo Switch software.

By ignoring the proceedings entirely, Williams effectively handed Nintendo an outright win. Whether Nintendo will be able to collect the full amount is a separate question, but the order to shut down distribution sites takes effect regardless.

Part of a wider crackdown

Nintendo filed the lawsuit against Williams in 2024 as part of a broader push against the Switch piracy scene, targeting both distribution networks and people selling hardware that bypasses console protections.

Williams is not the only target. Nintendo also pursued Ryan Daly, operator of Modded Hardware, a site that sold mod kits, flash carts and pre-modded Switch consoles. Daly and Nintendo initially tried to reach an agreement to stop sales without going to court, but the deal collapsed. That case ended with Daly ordered to pay $2 million in damages and hand over hardware used to modify consoles.

Nintendo’s long legal record

These cases follow years of legal action by Nintendo against piracy. In 2024, the developers of the Yuzu Switch emulator agreed to pay $2.4 million and shut the project down after Nintendo sued. Earlier, members of the Team Xecuter group, which sold Switch modding hardware, faced criminal charges in the United States, and member Gary Bowser was sentenced to prison in 2022.

The Switch 2 context

The crackdown continues into the Switch 2 era. The console launched in June 2025, and Nintendo updated its user agreement around that time to state that it can make a console or software unusable, in whole or in part, if it detects unauthorized modifications or piracy. That gives Nintendo both legal and technical tools against piracy on its new hardware.

Why it matters

For players, the practical message is clear: Nintendo actively pursues people who distribute pirated games or sell modding hardware, and even community moderators can be named in lawsuits. On Switch 2, the risk extends to the console itself, since modified systems can be blocked from online services or disabled.

The safest way to protect a console and account remains buying games from official stores and authorized retailers, including in the GCC, where Switch games are widely available through regional retailers and the eShop.