In a sweeping anti-piracy operation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has seized several high-traffic websites distributing pirated Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC games — including the widely popular piracy hub Nsw2u. The crackdown, announced on July 10, follows a months-long investigation into illicit game distribution networks that facilitated millions of illegal downloads.
The seized domains include nsw2u.com, nswdl.com, game-2u.com, bigngame.com, ps4pkg.com, ps4pkg.net, and mgnetu.com. All sites now display a federal seizure banner, confirming that the operation was carried out under a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. The FBI also credited the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), which investigates financial and tax crimes, for assisting in the international effort.
“These sites were online criminal marketplaces providing pirated versions of popular video games. In addition to the seizure, the FBI has dismantled the infrastructure of these websites,” the agency stated. “For more than four years, the websites contained pirated copies of highly anticipated video games days or weeks before their official release date,” the FBI added, thus making the damage even more significant.
“Between February 28, 2025, and May 28, 2025, records indicate a total of 3.2 million downloads occurred on these sites from the most used download service. These actions resulted in an estimated loss of $170 million to the industry,” the agency noted.
Nsw2u had become a go-to source for Switch ROMs — digital game files used to run pirated titles on modified consoles or PC-based emulators. The site was added to the EU’s counterfeit and piracy watchlist in May, just two months prior to the seizure. According to users on piracy forums, downloads were still active until mere hours before the takedown.
While Nintendo has not issued an official statement at the time of writing this article, its aggressive anti-piracy stance is well documented. The company previously pursued legal action against the creators of the Yuzu emulator and has taken a hardline approach with hardware bans for unauthorized devices on its newly launched Switch 2 console.
This FBI operation marks one of the most significant enforcement actions against game piracy in recent years, signalling a broader effort to clamp down on illegal distribution networks that have long operated in the shadows of the gaming industry. Such networks are on the radar and the crackdown is far from over.
Words by Khushboo Malhotra
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