Nintendo continues its campaign against fan-made projects featuring their IPs.
In the realm of game developers maintaining relationships with their communities, Nintendo often stands out as one of the stricter and less community-oriented studios globally.
Over time, Nintendo has earned a reputation for its stringent policies concerning the use of their intellectual properties, imposing regulations on fan-driven initiatives, and, in certain instances, taking severe actions against individuals for relatively minor infractions.
Among the various forms of fan-generated content, Nintendo appears to particularly disapprove of unofficial ports of their classic games. These unauthorized versions, typically distributed for free, aim to honor the timeless titles and safeguard them from fading into obscurity.
It has come to our attention that [Link's Awakening DX HD], offered on Itch.io, infringes and makes unauthorized use of Nintendo's copyrights in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening video game," reads the takedown notice issued by an authorized representative of Nintendo of America. "Please act expeditiously to remove the download and information page for the infringing game.
The most recent instance is Link's Awakening DX HD, a fan-crafted PC adaptation of the beloved Game Boy classic, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, which gained traction across social media. Unlike the official 2019 remaster, this fan-made rendition boasted support for 120 FPS, eliminated loading screens between locations, and offered players a complete view of the entire island by enabling zoom-out features.
Predictably, whenever such a port garners attention, Nintendo's legal team promptly intervenes. They issue cease and desist notices to the creators and threaten legal measures. Link's Awakening DX HD faced a similar fate, with the project's Itch.io page now displaying a suspension of the game's files due to a copyright claim.
