It is a sad day for the emulation, preservation, romhacking, and retro gaming community as one developer has taken their own life due to reportedly targeted harassment. The developer had a profound impact on the emulation scene, as well as the documentation and archiving of many rare games.

Near, formerly known as byuu, was well-known for developing the first SNES emulator with the goal of "perfect accuracy," bsnes. They were a huge fan of JRPGs, especially the Final Fantasy series, and brought widespread attention to formerly obscure JRPG Bahamut Lagoon by leading efforts to develop a full English translation patch.

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Near's impact across retro gaming is widely felt, having worked with RetroN, contributed to several fan localization patches including the Mother 3 translation project, and documented 1,200 Super Nintendo games, boxes, and circuit boards. According to a friend's report on the events leading up to Near's death, Near's mental health was suffering due to harassment by an online message board known for targeting neurodivergent people. Many fans and friends of Near are expressing appreciation for Near's work in the retro gaming community and impact on their personal lives.

The contributions Near made to the gaming community are of great importance. Many rare games are expensive or have never been translated, and emulators like bsnes allow players to experience rare gems, as well as games that have never been localized or whose official localizations may have felt lacking to fans.

Near's work will likely continue to impact the archival fields, romhacking, and fan translations for years to come. Near's bsnes emulator was the first to reach 100 percent compatibility with the SNES library, according to their website, and the many tools and translations they contributed to should remain useful. Some fans suggest those interested in Near's work play their localization of Final Fantasy-alike Bahamut Lagoon, as localizing the game was their initial reason for learning how to program, and the project reportedly restarting five times as they continued learning. The patched version of Bahamut Lagoon is playable both on real hardware via a flash cartridge, or like other translation patches, via Near's bsnes emulator.

Near's impact on gaming as a whole is undeniable and their legacy should continue to inspire developers of all calibers. It's hard to deny their work will leave a lasting impression on the many facets of gaming they impacted, including the fan localizations they contributed to or inspired. May Near rest in peace.

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Source: Near's Respite