News of Nintendo‘s legal pursuits regarding their intellectual property is nothing new, but a recent lawsuit for $4.5 million against a moderator on Reddit is certainly unusual. Filed on October 3, 2025, the video game juggernaut company has taken official action regarding the alleged piracy of titles released for their Nintendo Switch console.
According to the official lawsuit document from Court Listener’s website, this recent accusation by Nintendo targets James C. Williams, also known as “Archbox” on Reddit. This individual is, alleged by Nintendo, a community leader on Reddit who has facilitated a “network of unauthorized online ‘shops’ that have offered to the public extensive libraries of pirated Nintendo Switch games for download.”
Past Cases Have Been Invoked To Arrive At The Total Lawsuit Amount
The legal filing goes on to further accuse the Reddit mod Archbox of being primarily responsible for the copying, distribution, and promotion of piracy involving several Nintendo titles for the Switch. As such, Nintendo is asking for payment in damages, using prior intellectual property cases as reference for the total of $4.5 million.
Due to the exact number cost of damages being impossible to directly quantify, similar cases to Nintendo’s filed by other companies like Blizzard, Bungie, and Microsoft were referenced to reach the multi-million dollar total.
Among Nintendo’s other statements and legal actions, this one is claimed to have been done as a result of failed cease and desist negotiations with Archbox, according to Nintendo. Archbox had allegedly agreed to taking down piracy websites he was claimed to be associated with, but apparently became “non-responsive” and “combative” through Nintendo’s text in the lawsuit.
Throughout the document, Nintendo makes further claims against Archbox, accusing them of directing people to piracy websites and sources through hundreds of online messages. In addition, Archbox was targeted for his alleged requests for Nintendo eShop gift cards for his services.
Nintendo mentions several known piracy websites by name in the lawsuit, claiming they and Archbox are responsible for damages to their brand for award-winning titles like Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. They state that, through Nintendo’s popularity, the total $4.5 million “is nowhere near an amount that would compensate [Nintendo] for the seriousness of Defendant’s conduct.”
Reddit Mod Is Just The Latest Target For Nintendo
Archbox Is One Of Many Who Face The Company’s Vast Legal Resources
This astronomically large $4.5 million lawsuit is but one of many examples of Nintendo’s expanded legal actions, reflecting their continued warpath on the supposed “protection” of their products. Nintendo’s recent approval to copyright game mechanics and sue other companies like Pocketpair, the developers of Palworld, continue a trend of legal discourse started by the incredibly large gaming pioneer.
The Palword lawsuit Nintendo pursues, in particular, has seen the company file for changing legal text and several strange updates throughout the course of its proceedings. Nintendo seems to be extremely proactive ever since the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 console, cracking down on anything they perceive as infringement or damaging to their properties.
While Nintendo has had more issues with piracy than most other video game companies, many legal cases target the piracy websites themselves. This lawsuit is unique, as it directly references and centers around an individual.
Nintendo has long been known to target mods, piracy, and basically anything altering their game titles through legal action over the years. The intensity of Nintendo’s lawsuits has grown in recent years though, so it is likely that more cases like the one targeting Archbox will arise sooner rather than later.
This specific case is nothing new either, as Nintendo has gone after pirating sources in the past with similar lawsuits. Nintendo has worked with the FBI to file legal cases against pirating networks before, sometimes even claiming that they had lost upward to $170 million in damages to those they’ve accused. The company has been awarded millions in reparations through some of these cases as well.
As of this time of writing, there is no official ruling regarding the Archbox case since the filing of the lawsuit. Given how Nintendo has operated these legal battles before, it is likely that the $4.5 million request will lead to previously requested cease and desist actions from Archbox, which may still include money paid out to Nintendo of America in alleged damages.
- Date Founded
-
September 23, 1889
- CEO
-
Satoru Iwata
- Subsidiaries
-
Nintendo EPD, Nintendo SPD, Nintendo EAD
- Consoles
-
Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Wii U, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Switch Lite
- Services
-
Nintendo Switch Online