Nintendo’s lawsuit against Yuzu emulator developers seems to have shocked the entire emulator community. Not only has the Japanese company had Yuzu delisted, but also Citra (the best 3DS emulator), while others are suffering the same fate without being in the Big N’s direct line of sight.
A few days ago we reported that DraStic was also going to say goodbye, but now others are joining this grim list. 4 PS1, PS2, Switch and Game Boy emulators for Android have announced their demise.
DuckStation (PSX), AetherSX2 (PS2), Strato (Switch), and Pizza Boy (GBC and GBA) have been discontinued from Android.
In various Reddit threads, we discovered that the developers of four retro console emulators for Android have announced that their apps are about to go down. They will be removed from the Play Store, although in some cases it is not known whether the development will continue, and they will be distributed in other ways (maybe not). They are as follows.
DuckStation: The first PlayStation (PSOne, PSX or PS1) is one of the most famous emulations. CEO Stenzek has revealed that he will soon abandon Android and switch to the iPhone. This is for a reason. Google requires you to publish your legal name to keep the importer in the Play Store. Does this mean the emulator is coming to iOS? We doubt it, but the Android version will soon cease to exist. AetherSX2: A popular emulator for the PlayStation 2 (PS2). It has already been removed from the Play Store and also from the online store, so it cannot be downloaded from official sources. This could mean that the development has been abandoned, although those responsible have not said otherwise. NetherSX2 takes up the baton instead, although it still relies on some components of AetherSX2. Strato: The now-defunct Nintendo Switch adapter that took over when the famous Skyline disappeared. Strato team leader Lynx announced The project will not go forward And they leave the pretend world entirely. Pizza Boy: While there were many emulators for Game Boy Color (GBC) and Game Boy Advance (GBC), this was one of the most popular. According to the manager David Pizza Boy is no longer available in the Play Store. After seven long years of work, the developer said he wants to dedicate himself to his family.
The dark ages come to comfort the illusion, although the light will surely prevail
As you may have noticed from recent events, the simulation scene has been going through a tough time since Nintendo began arm-twisting a giant like Yuzu. The developers are afraid that the same thing will happen to them Pay millions in fines or jail time.So they prefer to take a step back.
Be careful, you should know that impersonation itself is not illegal. However, this line is crossed when you want to profit from it or encourage piracy (eg, distribution of emulated console ROMs). The latter is unfortunately what happened with Yuzu, so it’s not like they were doing everything right either.
Now, fortunately, there are always those who decide to take the stick and move forward in development. Exactly happened with Yuzu, which already has options based on the code (unlocked). The same thing happens with these four imps above as there are other equal or better options.
Impersonating a video game console isn’t illegal per se, so it won’t go away. Yes, there will be times to give back and reorganize, just like today, but it’s a battle that big companies can’t win.
