PS2 Emulator Developer Shuts It Down Over Death Threats
One PlayStation 2 emulator has been forced to shut up shop on Android as a result of impersonations and death threats.
06th Jan 2023 12:47
Unsplash - Nikita Kostrykin
PS2 Emulator Developer Shuts It Down Over Death Threats
One PlayStation 2 emulator has been forced to shut up shop on Android as a result of impersonations and death threats.
06th Jan 2023 12:47
Unsplash - Nikita Kostrykin
The time has now come to ask questions about the morality of emulating these games - with no legal way to play some video games, and no official efforts being made to preserve them, is it now our moral prerogative to pirate them, lest they literally vanish off the face of the earth?
As was proven by Ubisoft canning the online services for many games - making DLC and even full games entirely unplayable and defunct - games are falling away into nothing, and the hard work imparted by developers is vanishing into thin air.
Naturally, companies have problems with the practice, but it won't stop players - unless they're getting very serious threats from users. And that's exactly what has happened to one PlayStation emulator developer.
PS2 Shuts Down Over Death Threats
AetherSX2 has been a popular PlayStation 2 emulator on Android devices for some time, but it looks like it's running it back, as the sole developer of the emulator has revealed.
In a public announcement that the developer has made by completely shutting down the emulator's site, the creator has said that impersonation and death threats have led them to put the system for playing PS2 games down.
"Due to neverending impersonating, complaints, demands, and now death threats, I'm done," they say. "You can still download/use the app and it will continue to work for the forseeable future.
"AetherSX2 was always meant to be a fun hobby for me, not profit driven. It doesn't make sense to continue working on a hobby which isn't fun anymore. Stay safe out there, and watch out for scammers, there seems to be a lot of them."
Emulation Fans Share Remorse For AetherSX2's Shutdown
Users of the emulator have taken to Reddit to express their frustrations with the shutdown of AetherSX2, only to be met with players sticking up for the sole developer. In response to a post titled "what is wrong with him," users have leapt to the creator's defense.
"Let me put some perspective on this for you," says one passionate user. "Imagine doing something nice for your neighbor and then your neighbor begins constantly banging on your door asking you to do more for them and/or is asking you questions that you have answered repeatedly already and will not stop even after you have asked them polity many times to do so.
"How would you react? Then, to top it off, when you do get annoyed, your other neighbors have the nerve to call you the a**hole about it. That sounds pretty unfair to me."
"And you think blasting him on Reddit was the better idea," asks another. "Good job." It's a shame that the creator has been forced to step away, especially when video games without emulators are beginning to disappear. Well done, internet, we hope you're happy.
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
