Kyoto Museum Exposes Nintendo’s Emulation Hypocrisy

Key Takeaways

Nintendo has managed to make a name for itself when it comes to enforcing IP protection laws.
The company hypocritically uses emulators in its own museum despite targeting similar projects.
Nintendo’s strict guidelines for creators and streamers show the company’s uncompromising stance on content control.

If video game giants were to be categorized within the 7 deadly sins, Nintendo would surely be associated with wrath, given their tendency to go after anyone who dares to play around with the company’s guidelines.

Ironically, the same rules don’t seem to apply to Nintendo itself. The company recently made headlines for forcing the shutdown of Ryujinx, a Switch emulator for PC. Yet, Nintendo has been caught using an emulator in its newly opened Kyoto museum.

The images and videos of the museum making rounds on the internet showcase what seems to be an SNES controller connected to a PC, running emulation.

From lawsuits against fan projects to cease-and-desist orders targeting emulation platforms, the gaming giant has developed a reputation for aggressively shutting down anything that even hints at third-party emulation.

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However, the recent opening of a museum exhibit in Kyoto has thrown Nintendo into an ironic spotlight, highlighting what many call the company’s blatant hypocrisy.

Nintendo’s war against emulation goes back decades. The company has made headlines in the past as well by going after ROM-sharing websites such as EmuParadise and LoveROMs, claiming that these sites encouraged piracy.

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Over the years, Nintendo has issued numerous takedown notices against preservation projects as well, establishing themselves as the company that you do not mess around with when it comes to IP protection.

Where Does Nintendo Draw The Line?

To a certain extent, the boundaries drawn by gaming studios regarding piracy and emulation are understandable. However, the makers of the Nintendo Switch go above and beyond to prevent any content going out on the internet they don’t want to.

This also takes us back to the limitations recently set for content creators and streamers.The company threatened a ban if anyone showcased anything remotely similar to leaks or data-mined content.

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Unfortunately, just when the strictness started settling in with the fan base, the recent video showcasing the company breaking its own rules with emulation came across like a train wreck.

It’s unlikely that the company will issue an official statement. Instead, it will most likely figure out a solution behind closed doors as the incident fades away into the depths of the internet.