Reddit mod ordered to pay Nintendo $4.5 million in Switch piracy lawsuit

Nintendo won its $4.5 million lawsuit against James Williams, a Reddit moderator accused of distributing pirated Switch games, as reported earlier by Aftermath. In a default judgment issued on Wednesday, a Washington federal judge also ordered Williams to shut down the online stores allegedly housing libraries of pirated Switch games.

Nintendo sued Williams, also known as “archbox” online, in 2024. In its complaint, the gaming giant claimed Williams became a “leading moderator” of the r/SwitchPirates community, where he allegedly solicited “donations” of Nintendo eShop gift cards and copies of Switch games “to be copied and distributed” on online pirate stores. Last October, Nintendo asked the court for a $4.5 million default judgment after Williams didn’t respond to the lawsuit.