Dolphinno longer plans to launch on Steam following the platform’s decision to remove the GameCube and Wii emulator at Nintendo’s request. Dolphin’s “Coming Soon"Steamprofile was removed in May and the developers of the emulator have taken the time since to confer with lawyers regarding the situation. In a new statement, Dolphin’s developers reject Steam’s justification for the emulator’s removal but ultimately acknowledge Valve’s decision is final regardless of legality.
The heart of the issue is that emulation software like Dolphin exists in legally-untested waters. On paper, emulation software seems to be entirely legal even if it’s often used for illegal game piracy. However, Dolphin and other emulators do not have the funding to withstand legalpressure from major companies like Nintendo. Nintendo, on the other hand, would rather emulators not exist, but doesn’t want to press the issue legally because it’s potentially a losing argument – not to mention the negative response it would trigger in gaming communities.
RELATED:Dolphin Emulator Now Supports Entire GameCube Library
A confrontation between Dolphin, Steam, and Nintendo was forced when the developers of Dolphin announced plans to release the emulator on Steam. A Steam launch would enable users to directly launch the emulator via Big Picture Mode andon the Steam Deck, which is what prompted Dolphin’s developers to pursue the matter in the first place. Valve quickly reached out to Nintendo on the subject, and Nintendo responded with a request to remove the emulator. Valve acquiesced, though it should be made clear Nintendo did not and has yet to issue a DMCA or legal effort against either Steam or Dolphin on the matter.
In response to Valve’s decision to haveDolphin removed from Steam, the Dolphin team initially announced that the development of the Steam version of the emulator had been “indefinitely postponed.” It has since taken the time to write out a longer, thorough response. Dolphin clarified what happened in May, rejected allegations that it infringed on Nintendo’s rights, and rededicates itself to the continued development of Dolphin including features meant for the Steam release.
What Dolphin won’t be doing, however, is pursuing the emulator’s release on Steam in the future. The Dolphin team explicitly states that it’s “abandoning” its efforts to launch Dolphin on Steam. It says that to launch Dolphin on Steam, Dolphin nonsensically needs Nintendo’s approval. But given Nintendo’s anti-emulation views, that would be impossible.
Theoretically, Valve could change its mind and approve Dolphin regardless of Nintendo’s views. Valve could do its own research into the subject, reach the same conclusions the Dolphin team did, and decide protecting developers like the Dolphin team matters more than giving into Nintendo’s legal threats. That’s very unlikely to happen, though. Valve would likely prefer to be on Nintendo’s good side, and out of bigcontroversies revolving around emulation on Steam. After all,Dolphinis still going to be available, just not directly on Steam.
