FBI takes down pirated game sites, sparking controversy among gamers
The FBI’s Atlanta Field Office, supported by the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), has seized and dismantled six major piracy websites that distributed pirated video games—including domains like nsw2u.com, nswdl.com, game-2u.com, bigngame.com, ps4pkg.com/ps4pkg.net, and mgnetu.com . These sites had hosted illicit game copies—particularly Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 titles—often releasing them days or weeks before official launch dates .
Between February 28 and May 28, 2025, the platforms recorded approximately 3.2 million downloads, causing an estimated $170 million in losses for developers and publishers . Visitors to the seized domains now see an official FBI banner, and the supporting technical infrastructure has been dismantled . EU regulators had previously flagged some of these domains—especially NSW2U—as among the most harmful in global piracy .
The takedown has stirred debate: many in the gaming industry see it as a major victory against piracy, while some gamers and preservationists express concern that it might drive piracy underground and complicate access to older or region-locked titles .
