Reddit moderator ordered to pay Nintendo $4.5m over pirated Switch games

Reddit moderator has been ordered to pay Nintendo $4.5m over alleged piracy involving Switch games

A Reddit moderator has been ordered to pay Nintendo $4.5 million after being accused of distributing pirated Nintendo Switch games and failing to respond to the company’s legal action.

Nintendo of America pursued James Williams, also known online as Archbox, in 2024, alleging that he had been involved in “creating, operating, supporting, and promoting a network of Pirate Shop” for an extended period.

Williams did not respond to Nintendo’s initial lawsuit, leading the company to pursue further legal action.

In October 2025, Nintendo sought $4.5 million in damages, focusing on 30 games that Williams was allegedly involved in pirating. The titles included Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pikmin 4.

Nintendo also requested a default judgment after Williams failed to appear in court.

The Western District Court of Washington ruled in Nintendo’s favour on September 23, awarding the company the full $4.5 million. The ruling also requires Williams to shut down any online “pirate shops” that he operates or controls.

“NOA [Nintendo of America] has demonstrated that Williams promoted online shops offering pirated Nintendo game files and circumvention software, encouraged others to contribute pirated Nintendo games to his pirate shops, and assisted others in distributing pirated Nintendo Switch games, even though he knew such activity violated copyright laws,” Judge Lauren King said in the ruling.

The court also ordered Williams to disable access to online shops offering extensive libraries of pirated Nintendo Switch games for download.

Williams has since left his role as a moderator of the SwitchPirates subreddit.