Switch Android Emulator Skyline Halts Development “Due To Potential Legal Risks”

Nintendo Switch OLED
Image: Nintendo Life

The developers behind the popular Switch Android emulator Skyline have announced the open-source project is no longer in active development.

In a post shared on Discord, the team revealed it had received a DMCA takedown notice from Nintendo. The catch here is the takedown is actually tied to Lockpick – homebrew software that dumps Switch security keys which are then used with this emulator. Nintendo believes Lockpick circumvents and violates its own copy protections.

Skyline team: We find ourselves in a position where we are potentially violating [Nintendo’s] copyright by continuing to develop our project, Skyline, by dumping keys from our own Switches…All development on Skyline has been ceased due to the potential legal risks involved, this website will remain up for the time being but may be taken down in the future.

Although Skyline is ceasing development, the emulator is still technically legal according to the team, and as a result, the repository and software builds will remain available in the foreseeable future. From here onwards though, there won’t be any support.

This latest crackdown is reportedly a response to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaking early, with some individuals already playing the game ahead of its release and uploading spoilers on social media and elsewhere online.

Nintendo Switch OLED
Image: Nintendo Life

The developers behind the popular Switch Android emulator Skyline have announced the open-source project is no longer in active development.

In a post shared on Discord, the team revealed it had received a DMCA takedown notice from Nintendo. The catch here is the takedown is actually tied to Lockpick – homebrew software that dumps Switch security keys which are then used with this emulator. Nintendo believes Lockpick circumvents and violates its own copy protections.

Skyline team: We find ourselves in a position where we are potentially violating [Nintendo’s] copyright by continuing to develop our project, Skyline, by dumping keys from our own Switches…All development on Skyline has been ceased due to the potential legal risks involved, this website will remain up for the time being but may be taken down in the future.

Although Skyline is ceasing development, the emulator is still technically legal according to the team, and as a result, the repository and software builds will remain available in the foreseeable future. From here onwards though, there won’t be any support.

This latest crackdown is reportedly a response to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaking early, with some individuals already playing the game ahead of its release and uploading spoilers on social media and elsewhere online.

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