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Nintendo Forces GitHub to Remove 144 Switch Modchip Firmware Repositories

The move signals Nintendo's broadened legal push to target firmware that circumvents Switch boot protections, potentially prompting further removals on code hosts.

Overview

  • GitHub disabled a network of 144 repositories after Nintendo filed DMCA notices that named a parent modchip-firmware repo and asserted many forks were infringing.
  • Nintendo's takedown says the firmware enables voltage-glitching and boot-sequence bypasses that defeat the Switch's TPM protections and let modified consoles run unauthorized games.
  • The notices also targeted emulator projects, with one DMCA wiping a Citron Neo network of about 71 repositories and other takedowns aimed at Yuzu-related code.
  • Despite the removals, copies of firmware and emulator code remain available through other GitHub locations, alternative hosts and archival snapshots such as the Internet Archive.
  • The action marks a shift from targeting hardware sellers toward targeting distributed firmware, and it could prompt follow-up takedowns or broader platform enforcement that will affect modders and open-source code hosts.