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Microsoft locks down game emulation on the Xbox Series X and

Series S / After nearly three years of allowing users to freely install
emulation software on the new Xbox consoles while in retail mode,
now Microsoft is blocking it unless users activate a paid “developer
mode.”

By EMMA ROTH
Apr 8, 2023, 6:30 AM GMT+7
5 Comments / 5 New

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is barring users from running game emulations on the Xbox Series X |
S. On Thursday, Twitter user @gamr12, who’s involved with the distribution of
the RetroArch emulation software on Xbox, posted the error message they
received when attempting to launch emulated content.

“Unable to launch this game or app,” the message reads. “The game or app you’re
trying to launch violates Microsoft Store policy and is not supported.” Other
users with emulation software on the Xbox Series X | S report running into the
same issue.

When Microsoft first launched the Xbox Series X | S in 2020, users found that
they could install and run emulation software. This made it possible to play a
whole range of classic titles on the Xbox Series X | S, including games from the
PlayStation 2, GameCube, Wii, and others. But now it seems this nearly three-
year run has come to an end.

gamr13
@gamr12 · Follow

Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a good run.

But now we've no choice but to @Xbox @XboxP3 #LetUsEmulate

12:23 AM · Apr 7, 2023

As pointed out by @gamr12, you can still emulate games on the Xbox Series X | S,
but only if you put the device in Developer Mode, which you have to pay for.
Microsoft seems to have only gotten rid of the option when the console’s put in
Retail Mode, something all users can switch on for free with a little technical
know-how.

While it’s still not clear what prompted the change, Alyanna, an active emulator
fan who says she is a Microsoft Azure developer, claims she contacted an
unnamed “friend at the Xbox QA team” about the issue weeks ago, who said the
reason for the ban is Nintendo.

While the source and claims of the message haven’t been verified or confirmed,
it reads, “The primary reason for the ban is related to legal issues with Nintendo.”
“While emulating itself is not illegal, it can be used to play games from consoles
that are still under copyright protection without permission, which can create
issues with Nintendo and its affiliates.”

Microsoft’s rules technically don’t allow emulations, but the company typically
looked the other way in the past, according to Kotaku. “We continually evolve our
mechanisms for reviewing and taking enforcement actions on content
distributed to the Store to ensure alignment with our Microsoft Store Policies,”
Microsoft tells Kotaku. “Per 10.13.10, Products that emulate a game system or
game platform are not allowed on any device family,” Microsoft says. The
company didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.

If Nintendo is, indeed, the catalyst behind Microsoft’s decision, I won’t at all be
surprised. Nintendo has long been a stickler for emulated games — unless, of
course, the company itself can create and profit off of them (see: NES/SNES
Mini, Nintendo Switch Online game packages, etc.). Nintendo, notably, sued the
RomUniverse website for $1.2 million in 2019. Nintendo also went after Gary
Bowser, a Canadian hacker selling Switch hacks, who has agreed to pay $10
million in fines and is currently serving a 40-month prison sentence.
 5 COMMENTS (5 NEW)

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