The FBI took down a number of web sites utilized by avid gamers to illegally obtain in style titles for platforms like Nintendo Swap and PlayStation 4.
Final week, the FBI’s Atlanta subject workplace introduced the seizure of nsw2u.com, nswdl.com, game-2u.com, bigngame.com, ps4pkg.com, ps4pkg.web and mgnetu.com — putting FBI banners on the entire websites.
The FBI stated along with the seizure, it “dismantled the infrastructure of those web sites.”
“For greater than 4 years, the web sites contained pirated copies of extremely anticipated video video games days or even weeks earlier than their official launch date,” the FBI stated in a press release.
“Between February 28, 2025, and Could 28, 2025, information point out a complete of three.2 million downloads occurred on these websites from probably the most used obtain service. These actions resulted in an estimated lack of $170 million.”
The FBI added that the operation was assisted by legislation enforcement within the Netherlands.
The takedowns prompted backlash from the gaming group on social media from those that used the websites for years. Nsw2u was notably in style, permitting customers to play video games on hacked variations of the Nintendo Swap with out truly buying the video games. The platform additionally allowed customers to obtain the video games and the location additionally supplied video games made for PCs.
The European Union added Nsw2u to its Counterfeit and Piracy Watch Checklist in Could, writing in a report that online game business stakeholders reported the location to legislation enforcement due to its function in platforming unauthorized copies of video games.
“Operators of those domains are reported to not have reacted to requests by rightholders to finish the unlawful actions,” EU officers stated.
The UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and France all handed guidelines blocking Nsw2u and its associated domains. The EU stated the location had 2.3 million visits globally in February 2025.
In 2021, the Leisure Software program Affiliation business group representing Nintendo, Microsoft and several other different main gaming giants despatched a letter to the Workplace of the U.S. Commerce Consultant — naming Nsw2u as a platform overtly ignoring takedown notices.
Nintendo and Sony, which owns the PlayStation model, didn’t reply to requests for remark about whether or not they had been concerned within the operation.
U.S. and European authorities have launched a number of operations over the past three years supposed to restrict the general public’s entry to pirated content material.
German authorities arrested two males final 12 months who had been allegedly behind the favored pirated film web site Movie2k and Europol arrested 11 individuals in November throughout a big operation to take down one of many largest unlawful streaming networks.
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