Nintendo says it is “protecting” game devs by removing Dolphin emulator from Steam

Nintendo has argued that its stance on emulation is all about “protecting the hard work and creativity” of game creators, following the removal of Dolphin — a leading GameCube and Wii emulator — from Steam.

As an emulator, Dolphin allowed users to run GameCube and Wii games without owning the required console. While the software has previously been available to download through Dolphin’s website, its developers recently announced that it would be launching on Valve’s Steam storefront.

However, its time on the platform was short-lived. On May 27, the team behind Dolphin announced its Steam release was “indefinitely postponed”, due to Nintendo’s legal team sending Valve a preemptive request to remove the emulator from its storefront (via PC Gamer).

While Nintendo alleged Dolphin “unlawfully circumvent[s] a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under the Copyright Act,” the emulator remains available on Dolphin’s website.

Speaking to Kotaku, a spokesperson for Nintendo said the company “is committed to protecting the hard work and creativity and video game engineers and developers”.

“This emulator illegally circumvents Nintendo’s protection measures and runs illegal copies of games,” they shared. “Using illegal emulators or illegal copies of games harms development and ultimately stifles innovation. Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of other companies, and in turn expects others to do the same.”

It’s worth noting that emulation in itself is wholly legal. However, the issue of ROMs is murkier, as emulation software can be used to run pirated game ROMs — which is illegal. As Dolphin’s Steam page stated before its removal, users “must own an original copy of any game you want to use with Dolphin”.

In other gaming news, Nintendo recently confirmed that The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom was already close to being finished when it was delayed from 2022 to 2023.