US EditionNintendo warns that it can brick Switch consoles if it detects hacking, piracy
- In May 2025, Nintendo updated its User Account Agreement to warn Switch users that unauthorized use could permanently disable services or devices in whole or in part.
- The update responds to concerns over piracy, hacking, and emulator use by explicitly forbidding activities like bypassing, modifying, or installing unauthorized copies without Nintendo’s written consent.
- The revised terms expand prohibitions to include leasing, renting, sublicensing, copying, reverse engineering, and tampering with Nintendo Account Services or devices.
- Nintendo warns that failure to follow these restrictions could result in making your Nintendo Account features and/or the related device unusable, either entirely or partially, on a permanent basis.
- This change signals Nintendo's intent to actively prevent unauthorized use by suspending access or bricking devices, aiming to protect its services and combat piracy effectively.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Games Should Let You Skip Boss Fights, Nintendo Shouldn't Brick Switches Over Piracy, And More Of The Week's Top Takes
This week, we’ve got some pipin’-hot takes on offer. For one, South of Midnight gives you the option to skip boss fights, and our own John Walker argues that a lot more games should. John also has thoughts on the new revelation that Nintendo has updated its account user agreement to expressly give itself permission to…Read more...
With the Rise of R4 Cards and Software Piracy, Nintendo Can Now ”Brick” Switch Systems if They Detect Any Naughty Business
Have you seen all of those R4 knockoffs floating around on the TikTok shop for your Nintendo Switch? If you’ve thought about buying one, make sure you don’t take your Switch online. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that Nintendo could officially “brick” your system. Not just in the “oh, you can’t go online” kind of way, either. One of the latest Switch Nintendo Account User Agreements and Nintendo Privacy Policies emailed plenty of new changes, …
Nintendo Revises User Agreement, And If You Break It, Nintendo Reserves The Right to Brick Your Switch
Nintendo has tightened its user agreement, revising the terms and conditions with a tougher stance on players who hack their Switch console, run emulators, or any other such "unauthorized use."
Nintendo warns that it can brick Switch consoles if it detects hacking, piracy - WorldNL Magazine
Switch and Switch 2 users who try to hack their consoles or play pirated copies of games may find their devices rendered completely inoperable by Nintendo. That new warning was buried in a recent update to the Nintendo User Account Agreement, as first noticed by Game File last week. Nintendo's May 2025 EULA update adds new language concerning the specific ways users are allowed to use "Nintendo Account Services" on the console, a term defined he…
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