Nintendo Wins $4.5 Million Judgment Against r/SwitchPirates Moderator
Nintendo has won a $4.5 million default judgment against James Williams, the Reddit moderator accused of running pirate shops for Nintendo Switch games.
U.S. District Judge Lauren King issued the order in federal court in Washington. The total works out to $150,000 for each of 30 copyrighted games, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi's Mansion 3 and Pikmin 4, according to The Verge.
Williams, known online as "archbox," was sued by Nintendo in 2024. The company said he was a lead moderator of r/SwitchPirates, a Reddit community focused on pirated Switch games, and that he ran online stores stocked with unauthorized copies.
The complaint said Williams asked for donations of eShop gift cards and physical Switch games, which were then copied and added to those shops. Nintendo described that as organized supply and fulfillment, rather than casual downloading.
Williams did not answer the lawsuit. Nintendo requested the $4.5 million default judgment in October, and King granted it. A default judgment is what happens when a defendant does not show up, so the judge decides based only on the plaintiff's filings without the claims being tested by the other side.
The order requires Williams to shut off access to the alleged pirate shops immediately and to close social media accounts used to share copyrighted Switch games.
The case was one of two lawsuits Nintendo filed in Washington federal court against alleged enablers of Switch piracy, according to TorrentFreak. One named an alleged seller of Modded Hardware. The other named Archbox.
The broader context here is worth noting for anyone who runs forums or chat servers around circumvention, meaning methods that bypass copy protections. Liability in this order covered more than copying a game file, or ROM. Moderation, collecting games, hosting the storefront, and using social accounts to point users to downloads were treated as one distribution system. For moderators and server operators, that shortens the gap between hosting discussion and running supply.
In my view, the shutdown orders matter more than the $4.5 million figure. Judgments that large against individuals who do not appear in court are often never paid in full. A federal order to disable shops and close accounts gives web hosts, payment processors and platforms a clear instrument to act on. It breaks the steady updates and complete libraries that keep users coming back to pirate shops, even though copies already downloaded will still circulate.
Looking at what this means for legitimate developers, the ruling keeps the commercial path clearer for an older but still popular console. The Switch has a large installed base and games are still sold for it, and a well stocked pirate shop works like a parallel store with no licensing costs. Closing that channel will not stop determined pirates, but it adds friction for casual users and sends some sales back to the eShop. Over the long tail of the hardware, that friction can add up to real revenue for studios still releasing Switch games.
