Distributing or downloading XCI files of copyrighted games is considered piracy by Nintendo. Nintendo actively pursues the removal of such content.
Following the legal takedown of the Yuzu emulator in 2024 (in response to Tears of the Kingdom leaks before its official launch), the landscape for XCI files has changed. Emulation has gone underground, but open-source projects like (now maintained by community forks) continue to operate outside the United States.
Discuss how the serves as a metaphor for player freedom.