Nintendo Wins $2 Million Settlement Against Switch Modchip Seller
- Sagar Mankar
- Sep 9
- 2 min read
Nintendo has officially secured a $2 million settlement in its lawsuit against Ryan Daly, the operator of the website Modded Hardware, who was accused of selling Switch modchips and piracy-enabling devices.
At the heart of the case was Daly’s business of distributing tools like the MIG Switch flashcart and MIG Dumper, hardware designed to bypass the Nintendo Switch’s security systems. These devices allowed users to run pirated games or extract data from legitimate cartridges. In addition, his site offered tutorials that showed players exactly how to install and use the devices, which the court later noted made piracy easier.
According to Nintendo’s filings, Daly wasn’t just selling the hardware; he also allegedly pre-installed pirated versions of popular games such as Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid on modified consoles. The company argued that these actions caused “significant and irreparable harm” to its business and threatened the integrity of the Switch ecosystem.
The case was first filed in July 2024 in a Seattle federal court after Daly ignored prior warnings from Nintendo. Initially, Daly claimed he was looking for a new lawyer and continued selling devices despite promising to stop. Eventually, he chose to defend himself without legal representation, filing 17 different defenses including fair use, unjust enrichment, and fraudulent inducement. None of these arguments were accepted by the court.
By September 5, 2025, the judgment came down: Daly would have to pay Nintendo $2 million and face a permanent injunction. This means he is banned from producing, promoting, or distributing any piracy-related devices in the future. On top of that, all of his remaining modchips, consoles, and flashcarts must be surrendered and destroyed. Even his Modded Hardware domain is being handed over to Nintendo.
If you’ve followed Nintendo’s legal battles before, this outcome shouldn’t come as a surprise. The company has built a reputation for aggressively pursuing cases related to piracy. Just last year, Nintendo reached a $2.4 million settlement with Yuzu emulator developer Tropic Haze. Earlier, it also went after piracy hubs like NSw2u and individuals such as Gary Bowser, who was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $14.5 million for his role in distributing hacking devices.