Skyline Emulator development ceases following Nintendo DMCA takedown notice

The Skyline team, responsible for developing an emulator that allows users to play Nintendo Switch games on their Android devices, has announced on its Discord channel that they will be ceasing all further development on the project. The decision comes following a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice issued by Nintendo, which claims that the team's use of a software called Lockpick violates copyright law and circumvents copy protection.

Lockpick is used to dump security keys from a real Nintendo Switch console for use in the emulator, which Nintendo claims is a violation of their copyright. While emulators themselves are not illegal, the use of Lockpick is what prompted Nintendo's DMCA notice.

The project came to an end after the early leak of the upcoming game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: people are playing it on their emulators, prior the 12th of May, its official launch date. That's the reason why Nintendo decided to make its move.

The decision to cease development on Skyline is a blow to gamers who were hoping to play Nintendo Switch games on their phones. Emulators have long been a controversial topic, with some arguing that they allow gamers to enjoy classic games on modern hardware, while others claim that they enable piracy and hurt the video game industry.