Nintendo Wins Dutch Lawsuit Against MIG Switch Cartridges

Nintendo is notorious for its litigious nature against any form of piracy of its games and hardware. Sometimes, this can feel a little overbearing, such as suing a go-karting company for infringing on Mario Kart and making attempts to stymie the development of games like Palworld, but other times, the company goes after actual, full-on piracy and the devices that facilitate it.

One prominent example of this that has cropped up in recent years is the MIG Switch and Dumper, which Nintendo has just successfully negotiated the ban of in a Dutch court.

Today, following a lengthy case, the Hague District Court formally ruled that the sale of MIG Switch Cards and MIG Dumpers is a crime, and that all sales of these and similar devices from the manufacturer of the same name must cease and desist immediately.

Nintendo has been after MIG Switch since its sales first began a couple of years ago, and this court victory is a fairly decisive one against both physical and digital piracy efforts.

MIG Switch was Intended for Preservation, Used for Piracy

The MIG Switch Card, as well as the MIG Dumper, is a two-piece system used to retrieve and back up game files from Nintendo Switch cartridges. The way it worked is that you insert a Nintendo Switch cartridge into the Dumper, then plug the Dumper into a PC. The Dumper runs proprietary software that copies all the game files present on the cartridge, storing them virtually. These files could then be moved over to an SD card that’s been formatted and loaded with another bit of MIG software. That SD card could be inserted into the MIG Switch Card, which has the same shape as a Switch cartridge, and then inserted into a Switch console to play the game files.

Ostensibly, this setup was designed to facilitate data backup, allowing you to copy down critical game files and your save data in case the cartridge was lost or damaged, and the device’s developers even stressed it wasn’t intended to be used for piracy purposes.

The MIG Switch Card, as well as the MIG Dumper, is a two-piece system used to retrieve and back up game files.

To nobody’s particular surprise, though, that’s exactly what people used it for: copying the game files from Switch cartridges and either sharing them online or loading them into MIG Switch Cards and sharing them around. Last year, Nintendo actually began issuing penalties on the accounts of any users who attempted to play MIG Switch-loaded games on their Switch or Switch 2 consoles.

It’s a Victory for Nintendo in its Ongoing Crusade Against Piracy

By the Hague District Court’s ruling, the sale of MIG Switch and all related hardware and software is officially banned in the entirety of the European Union, with any retailers selling it ordered to stop immediately.

In a public press statement on the matter, Nintendo said that this ruling is a victory not just for the company, but for game developers and publishers who rely on consistent game sales in order to stay in business.

"Nintendo promotes and fosters game development and creativity and strongly supports the game developers who legitimately create new and innovative games," the statement said.

This statement was followed by a direct warning from Nintendo to anyone who attempts to use any kind of piracy-facilitating hardware. It urged players to refrain from purchasing software circumvention devices, as well as copies of games created using such hardware and software.

“This increases the risk of interfering with the functionality and experience provided by authentic Nintendo game consoles, video games and systems,” it said.

This is definitely in line with Nintendo’s stance against any and all forms of modded hardware, as well as an implication that anyone who attempts to make or market it is in for a bad time, lest we forget the lad Nintendo sued into oblivion for selling modded Switch hardware back in 2024.

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