EmuParadise stops hosting ROMs for older consoles – Yet another popular ROM website is hit due to the threat of legal action
Downloading ROMs for older consoles through the internet is something that most of us have done at least once. While the games on offer at ROM sites are usually over a decade or two old, it’s still considered piracy so these websites are in constant danger. Now, it’s EmuParadise’s turn to say goodbye.
What’s EmuParadise? What happened to it?
Unfortunately, our ‘friends’ at Nintendo are scaring ROM sites away
EmuParadise is a ROM download website that until very recently, hosted downloads for games and BIOSes of older consoles such as the PSP, NES, SNES, Genesis and many others. However, this changed with a recent announcement that shook the website to its core.
Yesterday, EmuParadise, which has been online for 18 years, announced that the website’s going to start following a different path; that is a path without hosting retro ROM and BIOS downloads. This decision came due to the fear of legal action being taken against the website which could potentially lead to disastrous life-changing consequences for those who run the site.
Farewell sweet prince!
It is possible that EmuParadise stopped serving ROMs because of Nintendo’s lawsuit against Jacob Mathias, the owner of LoveROMs and LoveRETRO. In that lawsuit, Nintendo is suing for $100 million which is a enormous sum of money that ROM websites, being mostly run by hobbyists, can’t afford to pay.
What’ll become of EmuParadise? How will I be affected?
While the website won’t be hosting any game ROMs, it will still be staying online. From now on, the site will only be offering its emulator database, forums, chat and other retro gaming related content which doesn’t involve piracy.
Retro mini-consoles are good and all but their limited selection of games doesn’t prevent ROM piracy that much
Obviously, the shutting down of EmuParadise will sadden many and it’s a moderate blow to the retro game piracy sphere. That being said, other ROM websites still exist and as of right now, a simple Google search still comes up with download links for older console games.
Conclusion
While piracy will still go on, it would perhaps be a better solution to pursue a legal solution to retro ROM distribution. I personally think it’s likely that less people would pirate retro game ROMs if there’s a legal service which offers our favourite retro game ROMs for a reasonable price!
Source (more in-depth information): https://www.emuparadise.me/emuparadise-changing.php
I cry everytime
My thoughts exactly.
It is realy a mess what nintendo is doing to us
Nobody cares about classic games at the store to sell them ,the point ist that retro games are no longer more a gold mine for a bussiness. The only way to enjoy our retro-feelings ist to download them. Nintendo avoid fans to download any games. I think we have a big broadcast to download super mario &co. Nintendo is going to loos this war for sure.
i personally don’t care about shitendo ROMs it sucks that over a precaution they are removing arcade and other platform ROMs to avoid trouble because shitendo saw there is a market for retro games instead of focusing on developing new and competent software and hardware like Sony and Microsoft do shitendo rather repack old *** and sell it to chumps
They better make it easier to buy games officially then and by that I mean “going onto Steam and downloading a game onto my PC so easy” otherwise they’re not getting my money anymore. I would’ve just bought a NES and SNES Classic from a scalper if I knew of this garbage.
Middle finger to you Nintendo. This wont stop people from getting old school roms. Torrents, FTP and other sites. It just shows Nintendo’s greed. Yes people will say it their property however gamers have been playing emulators for the past 20 years. why now? Nintendo should focus on new games. This is a slap in the face to gamers.
NES mini, SNES mini and maybe a N64 mini thats the real reason
This is the only reason I see for them doing this, as it does not look like they will be doing any sort of Virtual Console. It at least guarantees that those games are purchased rather than them being sold individually at like $7-8 a pop at a minimum.
They’ve only sold a few million of those and they don’t get much money due to hardware costs, distribution and licensing. They make far more from their virtual console sale. They’re doing this because of Switch piracy. They’re just picking off the low hanging fruit first. Also, the only website they sued actually took money directly as a monthly sub. So, it’s hard to say Nintendo is actually doing much of anything outside of targeting an obvious idiot.
And that obvious idiot was probably doing just fine running website ads and asking people to install a toolbar for faster downloads. They made the mistake of not only trying to offer a paid subscription for content they don’t own, but also hosting it on their own site. Soon as I saw the change a few months ago I knew they wouldn’t last long without legal action.
I’m not against downloading ROMS, for personal use, and from classic systems. Most of them are really hard to get on fairly good condition and at a fair price.
But against those that pretend to sell them with “old” consoles capable of emulation (Wii, PSP, XBOX, XBOX 360, and alike). Or as a separate buy (where they only provide a link to them), which makes no sense and proves their greed.
Nintendo is protecting their copyrights and interests, as most holders do. The diference here is that the impact of such actions is bigger that with other brands/products, because of their games popularity.
Wow Nintendo really sucks!
Yet Nintendo themselves in the past have downloaded Roms and then put them on eshop. At least in the case of Super Mario Bros for NES.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-01-18-did-nintendo-download-a-mario-rom-and-sell-it-back-to-us
Wow. I was just browsing Emuparadise yesterday. It was working until just now.
Isnt emuparadise hosted on Spain ? I thought they’ll never be affected by such law..
I thought it was Dubai for some reason (basically a place that could give a fk about a lawsuit)
Why did my comment get removed?
I won’t buy nintendo stuff ever again.
same here
No, not the emuparadise. It was the best ROM database on the WEB =(
Who cares about ROM site nowadays? Just download SmokeMonster’s ROM packs from torrents or mega type upload sites and you’ll get everything.
This goes to show that emulation actually is piracy
Emulation != Piracy.
If you rip the ROM yourself using tools you bought or even made yourself from a cartridge you bought yourself, it’s unquestionably legal.
They’re still hosting the emulation forums as well.
No it’s not, even if you own the game, having a backup is NOT legal, people see that as a grey area but the bottom line is it is not legal at all.
Where isn’t it legal? US? Who the f cares about stupid american laws? I would love for nintendo to sue me for playing my own games from a flashcart or maybe even a translated rom image *GASPS*
I’m sure you’d just LOVE for them to sue you; get real dude. If they sued you, you’d be on here crying about your impending lawsuit.
Yes I actually would. It would be priceless to see the court letter that tells them to f off.
Right.
UK laws and they WOULD give you a court letter over that, they really are that petty over here. A woman got jailed for 12 years just for downloading an album that she already owned
Holy facepalm.
cant tell if sarcastic or not
If this had happened a year ago I am sure Nintendo wouldn’t be selling as much NES/SFC/SNES MINI as they did. Shame on you Nintendo.
I like Nintendo. A lot. But this is really *** me off. They are losing zero dollars, and quite simply being queens about this whole thing. Some of these games are 30 years old. Isn’t there a state of limitations???
meant to type statute* of limitations?…
Wow, this was the best site period to download ROMs… RIP EmuParadise 🙁
Just another reason copyright law needs to be burned to the ground, and re-written entirely.
Any unique media, 20 years or older, should be released to public domain. If you can’t capitalize and profit on your product in 20 friggen years? Then GTFO of the business.
IP rights are kept just fine, but going after these roms, movies, books, music, etc. Should be public domain, for private use. You cannot charge money for them, or profit from them. This 75 year BS is beyond the realm of stupid, and clear into the realm of insanity.
Then they will argue that they can Redistribute on current Systems as a way to keep it. But in total Agreement. If there is a Game out there, that is NOT being Redistributed, the Parent Company no longer has Interest in it, or there is no way to run it on current Systems except through Emulation, or Virtual OS, then it should be available for others.
1 example: Blood Pong or Pong Kombat 3. Both Games were released back in the Mid-Late 90s, and the Parent Company has moved on from it. I even contacted them about it. They do not have anything related to it anymore. Not even a SDK, or Git, or Backup of it to go on. The only Copy that can be obtained ANYWHERE is the Demo/Trial of it. Unless someone can analyze it to find the Unlock/Key, it will only be a Demo.
Nintendo would just read your entire comment and laugh at you with giving you the middle finger.
I can’t help but think this is in timing with its Online service and its “free” Online Nes games.
“http://emu-russia.net” will be the next aim, i think.
Next? You really thin someone in Russia gives a single f about dumb american capitalist laws?
Here you go again, acting all tough about American laws.
You’re aware that Nintendo is a JAPANESE company, correct?
If their threats meant nothing, then why are these high-profile ROM sites being taken down?
Why are you even on here preaching your bs about how you’re invincible to copyright law? lol loser
Nintendo paying bots to post on hacking sites, that’s a new low, even for them. Go buy a gun for your trailer or something.
Pretty sure that I’m not a bot, but alright. I have plenty of guns already, thank you. 🙂
The problem with suggesting a legal method for downloading old ROMs is that in many cases, exactly who has the rights to some old titles is actually impossible to ascertain.
We should start a grassroots movement to make the copyright term equal to the patent term. If you, as an “inventor” or “innovator” make a device that with sunlight alone makes drinking water from salt seawater, you get 20 years to monetize your work, then it’s free for everyone to make, sell, whatever, as it’ll be in the public domain. This is why “generic” medications are so much cheaper than the brand name product. Since that patent system works so very well, and benefits society, 20 years should be enough for “authors” too. The only public domain we have in the copyright system are old books you have to read in school and some wax rolls with scratchy music your grandparent’s grandpa used to listen to.
In that case EmuParadise can offer any ROM/iso from 1997 and before.
I’ve used EP for some time, database was huge… specially for retro computers for example backups of games on tapes, console prototype games etc. RIP
While it saddens me to see emuparadise roms going away, I still have great admiration for Nintendo l’s achievements to deter rom sharing… They are really cracking down on 3DS piracy and rom websites, some people say it’s too lat3 and while they won’t remove every rom from the net, they are surely making great feats.
let’s take our hats down and give some respect to thsi wonderful site…
we will always miss you, emuparadise…
Amen to that
Raspberry PI blows all Nintendo products out the water long live emulation. This just proves how greedy Nintendo is now. Here’s a thought stop restricting Virtual Console!!!
Yeah, raspberry pie really blows N64, Gamecube and Wii’s out of the water right…
This was my go-to site to download ROMs and PSP ISOs during the PSP days. #RIP
We already have avenues to play “our favourite retro game ROMs”. How about *everything else* for the past 50 years?
If there’s anything Trump is helping us on, it’s making sure America doesn’t get to tell anyone else how to act.
legends fall but another begins again
Sadness, the internet is slowly dying ! D:
No, you are not correct because you do not know where to find them. There are so plentiful of roms and isos. Most of them are underground private sites. Many of the internets are very actively! 🙂
That’s ok. There are plenty of underground private sites and I am enjoying them every minutes. Emuparadise is not a private site. That’s why Nintendo and Sony are easily finding them and wants them to get everything down. Tsk tsk, Emuparadise. A underground private site is a smart move and you didnt do it sooner, did you, emuparadise ? tsk tsk.
The best thing on emuparadise were preconverted psx2psp games. Rip ep and f gimicktendo.
I agree eboot format for psp.
I STRONGLY SUGGEST EVERYONE DOWNLOAD AS MANY ROMS FROM EVERY CONSOLE BELOW THE PS3/360 ERA FOR FUTURE HOSTING! I WORK FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT COMPANY AND THEY GAME CONPANIES ARE VERY SERIOUS AND WILL HAVE MOST ROMS SITES DOWN BY THE END OF THE YEAR!
this was my number 1 site growing up, fond memories that kept me and my friends entertained.
Thank you #Emuparadise you truly was amazing.
So, Nintendo and other console makers, how can I play with my old legally purchased games now that you don’t manufacture the proper consoles to play them anymore?. You screw your clients with the middle finger?, is that it?.
That’s called Business
they afraid that someday Nintendo switch user might get an idea to make an emulator to run retro games specially Nintendo games to their handheld device. what do you think?
Too bad, they literally had everything, luckily I have my stash of old roms already.