FBI Seizes NSW2U and Affiliate Nintendo Switch Piracy Websites

• NSW2U and several other prominent domains harboring pirated games were taken down in an FBI operation.
• These platforms were notorious hubs for distributing pirated games, attracting millions of visitors.
• NSW2U has been in Nintendo's crosshairs for years, as the website specialized in pirated Nintendo Switch titles.

The FBI's recent gaming piracy operation resulted in the seizure of several prominent domains, including NSW2U[.]com, Game-2u[.]com, Bigngame[.]com, and ps4pkg[.]com, which attracted millions of visitors by offering unauthorized access to high-profile gaming content. 

This crackdown reflects a significant step in anti-piracy enforcement, disrupting a network responsible for considerable financial losses to the gaming industry.  

NSW2U.com, a central target of the operation, specialized in hosting and linking to pirated titles for the Nintendo Switch platform. Known for pre-release leaks, the site made thousands of pirated games available, often bypassing official launch dates to attract hefty traffic. 

The FBI updated the nameservers to redirect traffic to a government-controlled domain, a standard practice in similar operations.  

Associated domains, such as ps4pkg[.]com and Bigngame[.]com, catered to PlayStation content, creating a sprawling ecosystem of pirated game distribution. These platforms were listed as notorious piracy sites by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) earlier this year for their extensive catalog of illicit content offered to users.  

The domains have been seized through a coordinated operation involving the FBI and the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD). Visitors to these sites now encounter a seizure notice issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. 

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), representing gaming giants such as Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, commended the combined efforts, highlighting the damage caused by piracy, particularly in cases involving pre-release games.  

“This ‘pre-release’ piracy is particularly harmful to ESA member companies because it allows site users to download a pirated copy of a video game before consumers have the opportunity to choose to buy a lawful copy,” ESA wrote.