Emuparadise is a website that hosted a large database of video game ROMs, translated games, and other gaming-related files.[1] The website was founded in 2000 by MasJ.[2] Emuparadise offered ROMs for a wide variety of gaming platforms, including consoles, handhelds, and arcade machines. Emuparadise had discontinued most of its libraries after legal action from Japanese video game company Nintendo.[3][4]
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Gaming |
| Founded | March 2000 in India |
| Fate | Legal suit by Nintendo, forced to take ROM hosting offline |
Key people | MasJ (founder) |
| Website | TheEmuParadise.com |
History edit
Emuparadise was founded in 2000 by MasJ, an Indian video game enthusiast. MasJ was inspired to create the website after he had difficulty finding ROMs for old video games that he wanted to play.[5]
Emuparadise quickly became one of the most popular websites in Gaming platforms. In 2010, the website had over 10 million unique visitors per month. By 2015, that number had grown to over 20 million unique visitors per month.[6]
In 2017, Nintendo filed lawsuits against two websites that hosted ROMs, including Emuparadise. Nintendo argued that the websites were infringing on its copyrights.
In 2018, Emuparadise voluntarily shut down its ROM hosting service. [7] However, the website continued to host other gaming-related content, such as emulator software, game guides, and walkthroughs. Emuparadise offered ROMs for a wide variety of gaming platforms, including consoles, handhelds, and arcade machines. The website also offered ROMs for translations of games, which are games that have been translated into a different language than the original language.
Popularity edit
Over the course of 18 years of its operation, Emuparadise went from a single page website to a sprawling website distributed via content delivery networks around the world. At its zenith the website had an Alexa global rank of 1304 and a rank of 696 within the US.[8]
Legal issues edit
Emuparadise has been involved in several legal disputes over the years. In 2017, Nintendo filed lawsuits against two websites that hosted ROMs, including Emuparadise. Nintendo argued that the websites were infringing on its copyrights.[9]
In 2018, Emuparadise voluntarily shut down its ROM hosting service.[10][11][12] The website was a valuable resource for gamers who wanted to play classic video games on their computers or other devices.[13] However, the website continued to host other gaming-related content, such as emulator software, game guides, and walkthroughs.
Data breach edit
Accounts of more than 1 million gamers in 2019 were reportedly leaked after EmuParadise suffered a data breach, according to multiple reports.[14] Some of those impacted by the data breach of the retro gaming site, which used to host ROM, said that over the weekend, they started receiving notices that their accounts had been compromised in a data breach.[15]
See also edit
- KissAnime – Anime-focused piracy file streaming site
- Limewire – Peer-to-peer file sharing application
- Media preservation – Preservation of media
- Napster – On-line peer-to-peer file sharing software
- The Pirate Bay – Website providing torrent files and magnet links
- Video game preservation – Form of preservation in video gaming
- Warez scene – Organized network of pirate groups
References edit
- ^ "Emuparadise gaming emulator website suffers data breach". ZDNET. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ Rivera, Michella (2018-11-14). "Are Retro Games History? A Q&A with MasJ of EmuParadise". YR Media. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ Coldewey, Devin (2018-08-08). "RIP EmuParadise, a haven for retro gamers for almost two decades". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "Emuparadise shut down and all the services terminated with immediate effect". Extreme Tech.
- ^ "Emuparadise - MasJ profile info". emuparadise.me.
- ^ "Emuparadise is gone., page 9 - Forum - GOG.com". www.gog.com. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "EmuParadise has removed its entire library of retro game ROMs and ISOs". AtariAge Forums. 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "Emuparadise.me Traffic, Demographics and Competitors - Alexa". Alexa. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
- ^ "Nintendo cracks down on retro games downloads". BBC News. 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "Emuparadise latest ROM site to shut down". Retronauts. 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "Worried about legal action, 18-year-old emulation site pulls ROMs". Eurogamer.net. 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ Good, Owen S. (2018-08-15). "A major hosting site took down all its ROMs. What's going on?". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "Nintendo ROM Fallout: EmuParadise Terminates All Game Downloads * TorrentFreak". Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ "Emuparadise gaming emulator website suffers data breach". ZDNET. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
- ^ Zurkus, Kacy (2019-06-10). "Data of 1m Users Lost in EmuParadise Breach". Infosecurity Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-11.