Switch emulator Ryujinx shuts down development after “contact by Nintendo”

In the wake of those legal efforts against other Switch emulator developers, the Ryujinx developers posted an automated message on their Discord server in response to any questions about Ryujinx’s ultimate fate. “Nothing is happening to Ryujinx,” the message read. “We know nothing more than you do. No dooming.”

Riperiperi reports that development will now stop on “a working Android port” of the emulator, which was not yet ready for release, as well as a tech demo iOS version that would likely have remained a “novelty” due to Apple’s just-in-time compilation restrictions. Developers were also working on updates that would have allowed local wired multiplayer gameplay connections between Ryujinx and real Switch hardware.

“While I won’t be remaining in the switch scene either, I still believe in emulation as a whole, and hope that other developers aren’t dissuaded by this,” riperiperi writes on the project’s Discord. “The future of game preservation does depend on individuals, and maybe one day it’ll be properly recognized.”

According to the developers, “as of May 2024, Ryujinx [had] been tested on approximately 4,300 titles; over 4,100 boot[ed] past menus and into gameplay, with roughly 3,550 of those being considered playable.”