Microsoft has taken down a series of illegal game emulators hiding on its Microsoft Edge browser extensions store. The Microsoft Edge extensions store was host to tens of emulators, which enabled users to play several iconic games, none of which were posted to the store legally.
Microsoft Removes Illegal Edge Extension Emulators
Lurking on the Microsoft Edge extensions store were some of the most iconic games of all time, including Mario Kart 64, Super Mario Bros, Pac-Man, Tetris, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, and even Minecraft. Each game launched within the browser in an emulator window and allowed users to play through each title in full.
However, none of the classic titles listed the official game developers, such as Nintendo, Sega, Atari, and yes—even Microsoft. The listed developer’s names included Gamelands, Kday, and StayReal, all of whom are entirely fictional and have no links to the original developers.
Strangely enough, the official Microsoft Edge Development Twitter account, @MSEdgeDev, posted about the emulators, appearing to promote the games available on the browser extension store. We didn’t catch the original tweet promoting the emulators, but a copy is available via Resetera.
Are Emulators Illegal?
Emulators allow you to run different software on your computer. You can also use an emulator to play old games.
While emulators themselves are not illegal, downloading copyright content to play on an emulator is. The tweet from the official Microsoft Edge Development account was an odd move as the emulators downloaded a fresh copy of the game ROM for the user to play.
The topic of abandonware is somewhat a grey area, too. Abandonware games are no longer being published and are no longer available for sale online or in a store. However, in many cases, the copyright on these games hasn’t expired, but the copyright holder isn’t actively enforcing its rights.
In many cases, abandonware is illegal. Still, there are no court cases relating to abandonware, or at least none relating to an old game developer prosecuting someone for downloading an abandonware title.
In this exact example, the emulation of these old games within a web browser is illegal. Also, Nintendo is notorious for taking down any sites or services that attempt to replicate or redistribute its intellectual property.
Currently, the games have been removed from the Microsoft Edge extension store. Furthermore, it isn’t yet known how the emulated games ended up on the extension store or who put them there. Needless to say, they’re unlikely to return.