Microsoft Edge hosts a variety of add-ons and extensions, including spellcheckers, productivity software, and—until recently—pirated copies of Nintendo games.
The Edge add-ons marketplace was hosting ROMs of games like Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart 64, and other retro titles, Game Rant reports. They weren’t listed on the store, but instead hidden within other extensions. Some were even hiding copies of games like Minecraft and Pac-Man. These extensions are no longer available, but had been available for some time.
Some games were uploaded as early as October 2020. It’s unclear how these games became hidden in the Edge extensions or if there are others that remain. Game Rant notes that the official Microsoft Edge Dev Twitter account posted a link promoting these illegal ROMs.
“Calling all Pac-Man, Tetris, and Mario Kart lovers,” the tweet read. “Did you know Microsoft Edge has these plus more vintage games on the extensions site?” The tweet, which has since been deleted, included a link to the titles.
There are a variety of illicit sites online that purportedly allow users to play ROMs of vintage titles. These sites are a dime a dozen, and like the browser extensions, should be discounted in favor of official sources. You never know what malicious software is hiding in these downloads.
