iPhone NES Emulator dev quickly removes app over concerns of Nintendo lawsuit

The developer of a NES Emulator for iOS stated that they promptly removed the app from the Apple App Store out of fear shortly after it was released.

In early April 2024, Apple announced a modification to its app store regulations that permits the addition of emulators. As a result, numerous apps were swiftly approved, catching the attention of users.

After Apple swiftly removed the app from the popular apps list, there was significant buzz surrounding the Game Boy emulator, which was deemed a duplicate of Riley Testut’s GBA4iOS.

On April 16, 2024, the App Store added the first iOS NES emulator, which was quickly removed. However, this time the removal was not caused by Apple.

Instead, only a few hours after Bimmy announced the availability of the NES Emulator on the iOS App Store, he informed fans on the MacRumors forums that it had been removed due to concerns.

“I apologize to everyone for removing the app. I did so out of fear, but I want to clarify that no one pressured me to do so. I simply decided that the risk was not worth it.”

The legality of emulators is often debated, as they can encourage users to search for websites that offer illegal downloads of games they do not legally own.

Despite the recent lawsuit against Yuzu, a popular Nintendo Switch emulator project, and the resulting shut down and $2.4M in damages owed by the developers, there continues to be a significant amount of hesitancy within the emulator community.

Nintendo stated multiple reasons for targeting Yuzu in their initial lawsuit, including claims that Yuzu had gained profit from the unauthorized release and piracy of Legends of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom by receiving a surge in subscribers on its Patreon platform.

As of writing, the company has not yet taken action against smaller emulators. However, the recent legal actions against Yuzu have caused concern among developers.