Microsoft has recently banned the use of Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps, including emulators on the Xbox O|X|S consoles retail mode.  This news comes after recent influx of users downloading popular emulators, like the Dolphin Emulator, on their own Xbox consoles through loopholes in the Xbox Store.

Emulation, despite its controversial nature due to piracy, has been a safe haven for those who support video game conservation. Due to the short life cycle of most gaming consoles, many older games are more susceptible to becoming lost media, especially as the industry inches away from physical releases. So when gamers found a loophole through modern Xbox console’s developer mode, people were quick to turn their consoles into an emulator juggernaut. Unfortunately, it seems that Xbox users might have flown too close to the sun.

Following the recent additions of the RetroArch and Nintendo specific Dolphin emulators, Microsoft finally put down the axe. Currently, any attempt to open those apps will result seeing a message stating that these apps violates the Microsoft Store policy. Many gamers on the internet voiced their disappointment and frustrations on this change through Twitter and Youtube.

Modern Vintage Gaming (MVG), a YouTube channel who covers gaming conservation and emulators, gave his own thoughts on the recent change saying that it sets a dangerous precedent for Microsoft to “..de-list applications on retail mode as they see fit.”

“…While it’s easy to say that it’s their (Microsoft) store, someone broke terms of service and that they can do what they like, that’s true. The bigger issue however here is that, people that are paying for games or applications that eventually get de-listed for whatever reason.” said MVG.

“Usually its for licensing issues but, Microsoft has the power to basically go in the back end and just block your game or application. And we’re beginning to see a more wide spread delisting of these games especially when we start talking about the Xbob 360. This truly means that no application that you’ve purchased and installed will last forever.”

Microsoft has yet to give out an official statement on the issue but MVG pointed out one possible reason from a Tweet detailing an email from an Xbox QA team member.

I’ll copy and paste my email from a friend at the Xbox QA team :

Hi there,

Thanks for getting in touch with us about the recent ban on emulators on the Xbox store front. We appreciate your interest and concerns.

To answer your questions, the primary reason for the ban is…

— Alyanna McKenna (@AlyannaMcKenna) April 6, 2023

“…To answer your questions, the primary reason for the ban is related to legal issues with Nintendo. While emulating itself is not illegal, it can be used to play games from consoles that are still under copyright protection without permission, which can create issues with Nintendo and its affiliates,” said the team member.

“Additionally, we take security seriously, and some emulators require permissions beyond what is typical for an app. This could create a potential security risk, as these permissions can be exploited by bad actors to gain access to sensitive information. For these reasons, we have made the decision to ban emulators on the Xbox store front.”