Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against a Colorado-based streamer, Jesse Keighin—better known as EveryGameGuru—for allegedly pirating and streaming its games before their official release dates. The lawsuit claims Keighin went live with at least 10 unreleased Nintendo games across various platforms, ignoring takedown notices and sharing links to emulators and pirated game files with his viewers.
The complaint, first reported by 404 Media, details that Keighin streamed Mario & Luigi: Brothership on October 22, a solid 18 days before its official launch. Other games, like The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, reportedly hit his channel ahead of their release too.
According to Nintendo, he didn’t just stream these unreleased games; he made it easy for his audience to join in on the piracy by providing links to emulator software and ROM sites, including a step-by-step guide on how to play illegally downloaded games. And while streaming, he displayed a QR code for his Cash App, letting fans support him financially—a detail Nintendo’s lawyers argue amounts to profiting from piracy.
The lawsuit also shows Keighin wasn’t shy about responding to Nintendo’s takedown attempts. He allegedly told the company he had “a thousand burner channels” and could “do this all day.” When banned on one platform, he shifted to others, streaming across YouTube, Twitch, Discord, and even lesser-known channels like Loco and Picarto.
The Potential Consequences for Keighin
Nintendo’s legal team wants $150,000 in damages for each copyright violation, a total that could hit $7.5 million if every instance is counted. Keighin’s case isn’t an isolated one for Nintendo, which has a history of aggressively pursuing legal action to protect its intellectual property. Nintendo recently won a $14 million judgment against Gary Bowser, a Team Xecuter member involved in bypassing anti-piracy protections, and has filed a separate suit against PocketPair’s Palworld, alleging it infringes on Pokémon’s IP.
For now, Keighin faces the real possibility of multi-million-dollar damages as Nintendo’s suit heads to court. This latest move serves as a reminder of Nintendo’s firm stance on piracy and the high stakes for anyone streaming its content without authorization.
Featured Image courtesy of Ben Hamler on Unsplash
Follow us for more tech news updates.