Europe had its sights on it for years, but in the end, it was the FBI that brought down one of the most notorious Nintendo Switch piracy websites. Nsw2u, for years the prime source of Switch ROMs, has finally been seized by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, writing a dramatic new chapter in the battle against digital piracy.

One of the most well-known destinations for gamers seeking to dodge legal channels and download Nintendo Switch games has vanished from the web. While many thought it was just a temporary outage, Kotaku reports that an international anti-piracy sting spearheaded by the FBI led to its permanent demise.

NSW2U was a priority target for Europe before the FBI got involved

This key Switch ROM repository, Nsw2u, was officially seized by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation in partnership with FIOD, the Dutch agency for financial crimes. Now, anyone attempting to visit the site is greeted by a legal notice referencing Section 18 USC 2323 from the Northern District of Georgia, which states: “any property used, or intended to be used, to commit a crime may be forfeited.”

Because of its immense popularity, Nsw2u became a high-priority target: the EU put it on its watch list back in May, yet according to some users, it stayed online right up to the final hours before it was taken down. Its vast catalog catered not just to modded consoles but also to PC emulators, fueling the spread of piracy across Nintendo’s ecosystem. For years, the site distributed illegal game copies to millions of users.

This takedown is just the latest move in Nintendo’s relentless legal crusade against piracy. The Japanese giant has shut down emulators like Yuzu, filed lawsuits against ROM distributors, and even blocked online access for hacked hardware. With the Switch 2’s recent debut, Nintendo has only tightened its grip, going so far as to block unofficial SD cards from working on its hardware.

Shutting down Nsw2u is a milestone win for Nintendo’s anti-piracy campaign, but it also underlines just how hard it is to stamp out a phenomenon that’s become so widespread. Even as Nintendo secures its newest hardware, the fight against piracy is far from over.

Source: 3djuegos