Ryujinx, one of the world’s only Nintendo Switch emulators, is shutting down, according to a message on Discord that explains how gdkchan, the emulator’s creator, has been “offered an agreement” to cease development of the software. Specifics of the agreement haven’t been shared, but some users are speculating that Nintendo paid gdkchan off, while others are claiming that the company had Yakuza sent to his door, possibly as a warning to other developers who may be planning an emulator of their own ahead of the Switch 2’s launch. Ryujinx’s fate, as well as what is presumably its final YouTube video, can be found below.
— Ryujinx (@RyujinxEmu) October 1, 2024
Ryujinx is an open-source Nintendo Switch emulator created by gdkchan and written in C#. This emulator aims at providing excellent accuracy and performance, a user-friendly interface, and consistent builds. Written from scratch, the project began with a single developer in 2017 and continues on with a competent core team and help from dozens of contributors. Pronounced Ree-You-Jinx. Based on the name “Ryujin”, a mythical sea-god/dragon. The NX part of the name is from the Codename of the Switch itself.