Nintendo files DMCA complaint against 144 Switch mod-chip firmware repositories

Nintendo targets mod-chip firmware on GitHub

Nintendo has filed a DMCA complaint with GitHub against 144 repositories that host firmware for Switch mod chips, according to a report by 3DNews Games published on 11 November 2026. The complaint names Picofly, SX Core, SX Lite, HWFLY and other firmware projects.

A DMCA notice is a request under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act; GitHub decides how to respond to it. The report does not say whether GitHub has removed any of the repositories.

What the chips do

Early Switch models carried a hardware flaw in recovery mode that cannot be fixed in software. On the Switch Lite and Switch OLED that gap was closed, so running unofficial software on those consoles requires soldering a mod chip to the mainboard. The chip uses special firmware to bypass the protection and take control of the boot process.

Nintendo says in the complaint that this software lets the chips unlawfully circumvent its technical protection measures by interfering with the system's boot procedure in order to run illegal copies of Switch games, according to 3DNews Games.

The same chips are also used for other purposes: unofficial software, emulation, alternative operating systems, game modifications and overclocking the console, the report says.

Earlier takedowns

The complaint follows earlier action by Nintendo against Switch emulators and tools for running pirated games on the console, including a utility for extracting keys, which the company had blocked on GitHub. The report also says Nintendo recently closed a vulnerability used to hack the Switch 2.

Consoles that already have a mod chip installed are not affected by the firmware takedown, according to the report.