FBI Seizes Major Nintendo Switch Piracy Website

A major website hosting pirate copies of Nintendo Switch games has been shut down by the FBI.

Now, instead of illegally-copied games, the notorious NSW2U.com hosts a single image offering a warning message from the FBI, acknowledging the domain has been seized.

The move is the latest in a string of anti-piracy efforts surrounding Nintendo games this year, and follows Nintendo itself taking action to permanently “brick” new Switch 2 consoles that use a piracy-enabling Flash card device.

“This domain has been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the statement now visibile on NSW2U.com reads, “in accordance with a seizure warrant issued pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 2323 issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia as part of a law enforcement operation and action by the Federal Bureau of Investigation [and] Fiscal Information and Investigation Service.”

That latter organisation, the FIOD, is a Dutch government agency that investigates financial crimes, suggesting the website had ties to the Netherlands.

Various European countries had previously blocked access to NSW2U.com after it had been added to a EU blacklist in May. Now, the site is seemingly gone for good.

IGN has contacted Nintendo for more detail on the website’s closure, and any next steps against those behind its operation.

Nintendo has long waged war on those who enable piracy of its video games, and sought high-profile fines and even prison sentences for those involved. But the company’s most recent approach of bricking Switch 2 consoles from accessing the majority of their features has raised eyebrows — with concerns around the impact of this tactic on second-hand customers, and even a legal challenge from a Brazilian authority which believes Nintendo has over-reached.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social