Steam is threatened with legal action by Nintendo and issued to remove a product from its storefront.
The PC Steam storefront is not only packed with AAA big hitters, DLC, and indie darlings but also software such as the Nintendo Wii and GameCube emulator known as Dolphin.
The Dolphin emulator allows you to play classic Nintendo games such as The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Metroid Prime, Star Wars Rogue Squadron, Super Mario Galaxy and so much more.
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However, emulation enters somewhat of a legal grey area. Despite not being illegal to download emulation software such as Dolphin, it is illegal to upload and download ROMs.
So technically, while you can by law download emulation software, you could find yourself in trouble when playing illegal ROMs, especially when it concerns Nintendo. For example, just look at the ironically named Bowser who was issued to pay Nintendo $14.5 million in damages for his part in illegally distributing and profiting from Nintendo-owned properties.
As reported by Gamesindustry.biz, up until this point, you were able to download Dolphin from the Steam store, that was until Nintendo threatened Valve with legal action.
While there are other methods of accessing the Dolphin emulator elsewhere, it perhaps offers more of a stumbling block for those that want to emulate on Steam Deck. However, as we all know, if there’s an internet, there’s always a way.
“It is with much disappointment that we have to announce that the Dolphin on Steam release has been indefinitely postponed,” read a statement on dolphin-emu.org. “We were notified by Valve that Nintendo has issued a cease and desist citing the DMCA against Dolphin's Steam page, and have removed Dolphin from Steam until the matter is settled. We are currently investigating our options and will have a more in-depth response in the near future.”
Furthermore, in a statement provided to Kotaku, a Nintendo representative said the Japanese giant: “is committed to protecting the hard work and creativity of video game engineers and developers. This emulator illegally circumvents Nintendo's protection measures and runs illegal copies of games.
“Using illegal emulators or illegal copies of games harms development and ultimately stifles innovation. Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of other companies, and in turn, expects others to do the same.”
In somewhat related Nintendo news, fans have demanded that the Nintendo GameCube classic, Super Mario Sunshine deserves a sequel, and we totally agree.