Nintendo Removes Emulators on Xbox – Is Steam Next?

Nintendo has been a big stickler to protect against playing their games on unsanctioned devices and methods, usually by threatening legal action and business obstacles.

When it was first revealed that emulators were running on the Xbox Series S and X thanks to the integration of Windows software on the Microsoft Store software storefront, many were thrilled to find that their Xbox could become an all-in-one machine for both modern and retro games. Yet the worry in the back of everyone's mind was: how long would this last?

Xbox gamers launching emulators are now met with this screen across any emulator.

As expected, Microsoft has pulled the rug on unauthorized emulation system-wide. This comes at a very strange time, as other software storefronts have become more relaxed over the years on emulation in various ways. Google famously has emulators available across their Google Play Store on Android devices, so seeing a takedown like this is a huge blow to retro game enthusiasts and the accessibility of abandoned games.

At first, it was speculated that Nintendo had threatened legal action against Microsoft. A QA developer at

To no one's surprise, it didn't take long to find that Nintendo was to blame for this.