Lockpick, a homebrew tool used to access the files of physicalSwitchgames, has reportedly received a DMCA takedown fromNintendo. This comes after physical copies ofThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdommade it out early, with the files then apparently shared via Lockpick for others to enjoy. Many are hitting back at Nintendo for the move, arguing that it isn’t Lockpick’s fault thatTears of the Kingdom is being played early. As the tool is used to dump the files of games you already owned, fans argue that Nintendo should instead focus on tackling physical copies of Tears of the Kingdom, rather than take away a programme that players use to play Switch games that they’ve bought.Related:We Need To Stop Giving Nintendo A Free PassThis development was spotted byGBA Temp, with those who enjoy playing their Switch games on other devices incredibly disappointed with the news. “Nintendo has just issued multiple DMCA takedown requests to GitHub, including for Lockpick, the tool for dumping keys from YOUR OWN Switch,” explains Twitter userSimon Aarons. “[This] is absolutely ludicrous - pirates aren’t gonna be sourcing keys from their own consoles!”
Other Nintendo fans are coming to the company’s defence, arguing that even if it wasn’t intentional, Lockpick still played a role in Tears of the Kingdom files being made public. Some counter this by arguing that if a legitimate tool is used for illegitimate acts, then the original creators shouldn’t be punished.
It’s not clear if Nintendo has made any progress in tracking down how physical copies made it out into the wild in the first place. But because of that,spoilers are being shared online, as well as gameplay clips, well before its intended launch on May 12.
Due to this, it’s unlikely that this is the last we’ve heard about Nintendo’s fight against leaks. The company is notoriously ruthless when it comes to anything resembling piracy - even if it isn’tactuallypiracy. Mods for older games aren’t safe either, as we saw back in 2021, when a tournament was shut downfor running a modified version of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Then, of course, we have the lengths Nintendo will go to when dealing with actual piracy. Most recently, hacker Gary Bowser was sentenced to 40 months in prison, although he has since been released. However,he owes Nintendo $10 million, meaning the company is entitled to about a quarter of Bowser’s monthly earnings for the rest of his life.
