EmuParadise has removed its entire library of retro game ROMs and ISOs

[parallaxscroll]

https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/2...roms-and-isos/

For nearly two decades, EmuParadise has been the go-to place for quite a number of people in the emulation community. This is due to the site’s vast collection of ROMs and ISOs from many systems, dating all the way back from the Atari and NES eras, straight up to the Wii and PSP. But, things are different now.

The site’s creator recently put out an announcement on a website, titled “EmuParadise is Changing”. This announcement contained an explanation — the site will no longer host any games. Here’s an excerpt:

“It’s not worth it for us to risk potentially disastrous consequences. I cannot in good conscience risk the futures of our team members who have contributed to the site through the years. We run EmuParadise for the love of retro games and for you to be able to revisit those good times. Unfortunately, it’s not possible right now to do so in a way that makes everyone happy and keeps us out of trouble . . . . . You won’t be able to get your games from here for now. Where we go with this is up to us and up to you.”

This news comes just a few weeks after Nintendo slapped a massive $100 million lawsuit against the owner of LoveROMS and LoveRETRO. These websites were very similar to EmuParadise, hosting a vast collection of retro games and emulators. Mere hours after the lawsuit was filed, both websites were taken offline. Interestingly enough, many responses from the community to the closure of these sites pointed to EmuParadise still being around as another trustworthy source of games. Obviously, that claim no longer applies. In addition to the fall of LoveROMS and LoveRETRO, Nintendo then had an online GameBoy Advance Emulator removed from GitHub.

It must be noted that EmuParadise’s announcement does not specifically denounce Nintendo as being a/the reason for the removal of all the games from the site, But, it has had run-ins with the Big N in the past. Back in June 2017, all of Nintendo’s first-party titles were taken down from EmuParadise’s library. So, taking the two aforementioned recent closures into account on top of last year’s scuffle, it wouldn’t be surprising if Nintendo does have a role to play in this announcement after all, but EmuParadise has yet to name any names. The fact of the matter is, the site was in violation of copyright laws. So, whoever forced the site to make this drastic move did have the legal grounds to do so, especially since EmuParadise was benefiting financially from hosting its library due to selling ad space.

Will this kill the emulation scene? Not exactly. Other sources still exist. However, this is a crippling blow nonetheless. EmuParadise was known not just for having a vast collection of games, but also being a safe source due to many other ROM/ISO sites being riddled with evasive ads and viruses. So, many in the community are going to have to find somewhere else to get their games if they’re still willing to make the effort.

Welp...

[Sik]

Also some other ROM site (won't name it :​v) suddenly removed all their ROMs for Nintendo consoles without warning (but left in the downloads for other systems). So the impression I get is that sites are trying to stay away from Nintendo's sights.

[sull56ivan2010]

That's shitty. Nintendo is just being Nazis at this point, even if it is in their rights to complain. I really liked EmuParadise. You could find arcade stuff and a number of DOS games.

[Mad Moham]

Attitudes regarding roms have changed a lot since I first started messing around with emulation. When I first got an emulator (I forget which one but I think is was an Amiga emulator) people I talked to were all very hush hush about the whole thing. It seemed like the unwritten rule that people played the games they downloaded illegally but nobody talked about it, they just occasionally mentioned their 'backups'.
But lately people seem to be more open about the games they're pirating and they get very disappointed when their source of roms disappears.

I don't know what to make of EmuParadise taking roms down, but did anyone really think that the games would be freely (and illegally) available forever without there being any consequences?

Also, I don't think Nintendo are the first company to do this. Maybe I'm remembering this incorrectly, but I recall rom sites being contacted by Capcom and asked to take down any copies of Street Fighter 2.

[The Jackal]

Three more sites will spring up to take it's place - tis the way of the internet. If these games companies wanted to eradicate ROM piracy so badly, why not open up their own sites and allow their catalogue to be downloaded, for a fee of course?

[Jeckidy]

I no longer download ROMs, ISOs, or even the simple BIOS files to run certain emulators, based on changes in attitude and conscience, but I know it's not the same conviction for everyone, and I do not care for the virtual console service itself or Nintendo's often-behind business practices. I no longer buy most of Nintendo's products these days, focusing mainly on Sony. The only reason I keep my Nintendo DS around is for Clubhouse Games multiplayer and the DS Kanji dictionary Nintendo made themselves, which I find to be a flexible alternative to the more expensive electronic dictionaries from Japan.

[Sik]

Or torrents. When Nintendo started with the lawsuits somebody wondered why people were still hosting them in sites (technically, if you can hide behind lots of layers it can be pretty hard to get the site taken down, but yeah... though torrents suck).

Although if we want to talk about attitudes... remember when Sega decided to literally provide a legal way to do ROM hacks for some of their games? o.O (that was probably the most drastic decision ever taken in the opposite direction)

[bultje112]

nintendo being nintendo and yet people are still fan of these neo nazi's.

[Team Andromeda]

nintendo being nintendo and yet people are still fan of these neo nazi's.

Why do people still like Nintendo is beyond me!

[ComradeOj]

Why do people still like Nintendo is beyond me!

Why do people still like Disney despite their shady bullshit? Get 'em while they're young and people will never be able to see you as an enemy.
I've noticed on reddit especially you used to get nuked by downvotes for criticizing Nintendo. The hive-mind is starting to come around though.

[gamevet]

The last 2 consoles from Nintendo that I’d bought new (not counting SNES Classic), were the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance SP. I got my Wii U (used in box) from eBay, after Nintendo stopped selling the console. I really don’t like the way Nintendo treats it supporters, and the thought of using Nintendo games in a YouTube video will probably get flagged by them.

[MrMatthews]

Why do people still like Nintendo is beyond me!

nintendo being nintendo and yet people are still fan of these neo nazi's.

Some people are mature enough to separate the things they like from the people that produce them.

I really don’t like the way Nintendo treats it supporters, and the thought of using Nintendo games in a YouTube video will probably get flagged by them.

I'll agree with this.

[gamevet]

I’d rather give my money to a company that listens to its consumers. I was shocked that Nintendo released another run of the NES Classic, after they had said there wouldn’t be one.

[MrMatthews]

I’d rather give my money to a company that listens to its consumers. I was shocked that Nintendo released another run of the NES Classic, after they had said there wouldn’t be one.

...does that mean you bought one?

That was the rare instance of Nintendo listening to their fans.

[Bottino]

If these games companies wanted to eradicate ROM piracy so badly, why not open up their own sites and allow their catalogue to be downloaded, for a fee of course?

I'll let reddit used itsamamaluigi answer that:

Of course not. Nintendo doesn't care about providing a quality product when it comes to retro games, they're all about protecting their IP. It's their right, of course, but don't think for a second this means that they will open up their vault of old games. They'll continue their woefully inadequate drip feed of overpriced, mediocre games that aren't even tied to an account, but to hardware, and then ask you to pay them again every time you migrate systems.

There's a reason people pirate Nintendo games so much, and it's not just because they're popular. Piracy is a symptom of bad business practices.

Pretty much all of those megacorps are anti-consumer. They don't care one bit about the people that buys their games, the staff that actually worked really hard to make their games or even their own legacy and rich history.

CEO's and their big-shot lawyers and accountants don't have mundane concerns; it's not in their DNA. They're vampires and will do everything in their power to get what they want and protect what they have.