Nintendo Sues Streamer Over Pre-Release and Emulated Games, Seeks Millions in Damages

Nintendo has ramped up its legal efforts, filing a lawsuit against streamer Jesse Keighin, known as EveryGameGuru, for allegedly streaming pirated and emulated Nintendo Switch games before their official releases.

The suit, filed on November 6 by Nintendo of America, claims Keighin streamed pre-release games such as Mario & Luigi: Brothership, over two weeks before its release, across platforms like TikTok, Twitch, Kick, and YouTube. Starting in 2022, Keighin allegedly played at least ten Nintendo games before launch. Nintendo says they issued multiple takedown notices, but Keighin would simply create new “burner” accounts, even reportedly telling Nintendo he had “a thousand burner channels” and could “do this all day.”

In addition to streaming unreleased games, Nintendo claims Keighin actively promoted illegal downloads of ROMs, as well as emulators that support pirated games. He reportedly sent an email to Nintendo stating he would continue helping users access “newer and updated copies” of emulators, despite ongoing legal actions against similar projects.

Nintendo seeks damages of up to $150,000 per infringement, potentially reaching $7.5 million, with a 47-page case filing that includes extensive evidence such as screenshots of Keighin’s streams and Discord activity.