“First Approved NES Emulator ‘Bimmy’ Launched on App Store, Quickly Removed By Developer”
After Apple updated its program review guidelines, the first approved NES (Famicom) emulator “Bimmy” was launched on the App Store yesterday and could be used on iPhone and iPad. According to the description on the App Store, “Bimmy” is a tool for testing and playing public domain or homemade NES games, as well as allowing users to load any NES game file downloaded online.
These NES game files available online include classics like “Super Mario Bros.” and “Donkey Kong”, games that were originally launched by Nintendo for the NES console back in 1985, making some of the games nearly 40 years old. Nintendo has been quick to emphasize on its official website that downloading any pirated games is illegal.
“Bimmy” is the second Nintendo console emulator to be launched on the App Store recently. The previous emulator, “iGBA”, was removed after Apple discovered it was a counterfeit that copied another Game Boy emulator “GBA4iOS”.
Despite the successful launch of “Bimmy”, its developer Tom Salvo decided to remove it just one day after its release. In a discussion forum on the website MacRumors, Salvo explained that while no one pressured him to remove it, he chose to do so to avoid potential risks.
The quick removal of “Bimmy” raises questions about the future of Nintendo emulators on the App Store and the boundaries set by Apple’s program review guidelines. It remains to be seen if more official emulator apps will be approved in the future or if developers will continue to tread carefully in this space.