The FBI has officially taken down the Nsw2u website, one of the largest platforms for the illegal distribution of games . The FBI coordinated an international operation in partnership with FIOD, a Dutch agency specializing in financial crimes.
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U.S. authorities seized the domain, which now displays an official notification, after identifying the site as one of the main access points for illegal Switch downloads. The initiative represents another move by Nintendo to curb piracy on its systems, especially the Switch, which has faced security breaches since its launch.
Users of hacked consoles have adopted the site as their main reference
For years, Nsw2u served as one of the main Nintendo Switch ROM repositories, providing full games to users with jailbroken consoles or those using emulators. The platform allowed free access to newly released titles, making it especially popular among players who avoided legally purchasing games.
According to user reports on the Switch Piracy subreddit, the site remained active until just hours before the shutdown. This indicates that the FBI's action was swift and strategic, surprising even the page's most frequent users.
Additionally, the European Union recently added Nsw2u to a list of copyright-infringing domains, which likely accelerated the investigation and confiscation process.
Nintendo and FBI step up crackdown on emulators and modifications
The action against Nsw2u reinforces Nintendo's aggressive stance against piracy. In recent years, the Japanese company has filed a series of lawsuits against emulator developers and distributors of hardware aimed at unlocking consoles.
In 2024, for example, the company won a lawsuit against the creators of the Yuzu emulator. It was used to run Switch games on PCs and other unlicensed devices. Another recent target was Modded Hardware, accused of selling modification chips and MIG devices that facilitated the installation of ROMs.
