Update #2 [Fri 25th Sep 2026, 12pm]: We have been following the Nintendo v James 'Archbox' Williams piracy case for two years now, and this week, it looks like things have finally come to an end.
As a brief refresher (you can find all the details in our original coverage below), Nintendo issued a lawsuit against the Reddit mod back in 2024, accusing him of selling "massive libraries of pirated Nintendo Switch games". Williams failed to show up to the court hearing, so Nintendo pushed for a default judgment (passing the case without a court hearing), requesting an eye-watering $4,500,000 in damages.
A new court document published this week on 23rd September (via The Verge) states that the default judgment has now been passed: "For all of the foregoing reasons, the Court GRANTS NOA’s motion for default judgment and a permanent injunction. Dkt. No. 25. Default judgment shall enter in favor of NOA and against Williams".
Reading through the document, it seems that Williams has been mostly uncontactable since the lawsuit began, so it remains unclear exactly how the $4.5 million will be paid. Still, at least the case is tied up now from a legal standpoint.
Update #1 [Tue 7th Oct 2025, 3:45pm]: If you cast your mind back to last November, you might recall Nintendo of America was on track to pick up another lawsuit win after accused Switch "pirate" James 'Archbox' Williams failed to plead or defend himself when called to do so in court. The case 'entered default', granting NOA the right to take the full requested amount in damages as a result, though we didn't know what the final sum would be. Until now, that is (thanks for the heads up, @OatmealDome).
In an updated court document dated 24th October 2025, Nintendo concludes that it is seeking $4,500,000 (roughly £3,355,000) in damages from Williams and a permanent injunction to prevent the defendant from piracy again.
One section of the document reads as follows:
According to the document, Williams has remained silent on the matter. NOA states that it was contacted by a lawyer claiming to represent the defendant back in January 2025 with a message that read “Mr. Williams understands that Nintendo may have a right to obtain documents in support of its motion for default judgment”, though there has been no further communication in the months since.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/09/reddit-mod-ordered-to-cough-up-usd4500000-to-nintendo-in-long-running-switch-piracy-case
