What is the reason behind Nintendo's interest in this YouTuber?

Russ Crandall has demonstrated his ability to reinvent himself throughout his life. At the age of 24, after suffering a stroke that affected his brain, he re-learned to walk and write. Later, when open-heart surgery was insufficient to treat a rare autoimmune disease, he adopted a paleo diet, which led him to become a New York Times bestselling cookbook author and a food blogger. Recently, he left behind a 22-year career as a translator for the United States Navy to focus full-time on YouTube.

Currently, Crandall is the creator of Retro Game Corps, a YouTube channel with half a million subscribers where he teaches various ways to play classic video games using modern hardware and emulation. He started this project as a hobby in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and soon realized it could become his main activity. Last year, he closed his cooking blog because he felt he had completed that chapter.

However, on September 28, Crandall faced new uncertainty in his career as a content creator. Upon returning to his studio after a night of work, he discovered that one of his videos had vanished. This video, which demonstrated how Nintendo Wii U games could run on Android devices, had been removed due to a DMCA takedown notice issued by Nintendo, putting his channel at risk of permanent removal after receiving his second copyright strike.

YouTube's policy states that after three strikes, a channel will be terminated. At that moment, Crandall understood that his livelihood depended on avoiding a third violation. In a panic, he decided to halt the upload of his video and publicly clarified that he was being targeted by Nintendo. Since then, he has chosen to self-censor, avoiding showing any Nintendo games in his videos, even though he has previously advocated for purchasing the company's products before using emulators.

Crandall's reaction surprised his community, as he had maintained a stance throughout his career that did not encourage piracy and focused on the preservation of legitimate video games. The first strike he received was for a video related to devices that allow converting Nintendo Switch cartridges into digital files. Although he stated he was against piracy, the inclusion of a few seconds of content from a Nintendo game in his video may have triggered the company's legal actions.

Crandall faces a tough decision. He can either wait for his current strike to expire in a few months, which would free his channel from immediate threats, or file a counter-notification of copyright that could expose him to potential legal action from Nintendo. Despite his long-standing admiration for the company, he feels conflicted about the situation and has stopped enjoying the games he used to love, as every recent interaction with the brand leaves him with a bitter taste.

So far, Nintendo has not responded to requests for information about this matter.