Denuvo by Irdeto has unveiled a “revolutionary technology meant to protect games launching on the Nintendo Switch from piracy.” The global leader in providing security solutions for video games on desktop, console, and mobile platforms, Denuvo’s announcement claims that Nintendo Switch titles could previously be emulated from day one and played on PC, bypassing any protections offered on the PC version. However, from now on, with the new Nintendo Switch Emulator Protection, anyone who wishes to play a Switch game on PC now has to buy a legitimate copy.
The History of the Nintendo Switch and Piracy
According to Denuvo, Nintendo consoles – not just the Switch – have had to deal with suffering from piracy issues throughout the years. Supposedly, even if a game is protected against piracy on a PC, the released Switch version could still be emulated from and played on day one via PC by bypassing any protections. This can happen with any of the numerous games available on Switch.
The company hopes that by preventing piracy on Switch as well as blocking unauthorized emulations on PC, studios will be able able to increase their revenue during the game’s launch by ensuring anyone who wishes to play the game has to first buy a legitimate copy.
Irdeto’s research found that 84% of game developers are continuously concerned about tampering and piracy, and subsequently that 93% of individuals using anti-cheat and anti-tamper solutions are satisfied with the protection and value brought by game protection technologies.
“As with all other Denuvo solutions, the technology integrates seamlessly into the build toolchain with no impact on the gaming experience. It then allows for the insertion of checks into the code, which blocks gameplay on emulators,” said Reinhard Blaukovitsch, managing director at Denuvo by Irdeto.
Currently, Denuvo has over 2 billion unique game installs protected across all platforms and over 1,000 games secured, according to their press release.
“We at Denuvo understand that piracy negatively affects the gaming industry and are working with the industry parties to ensure they have the latest protection technologies available for them,” Blaukovitsch said.
“Our team is excited to provide a solution that helps the developers and publishers to help fight the issue of Nintendo Switch piracy.”