Game Creator Forces Removal of Two Decades of Assets Following Copyright Infringement Claims by Nintendo
"Hey there! Let's chat about a buzzing topic in the gaming world right now."
"Garry's Mod, an iconic sandbox game developed back in 2006, has been hit with a surprise takedown notice from none other than Nintendo. This unexpected move has kicked off the removal of two decades worth of Nintendo-related content from the game.**"
On Garry's Mod's Steam page, the developers shared the news, stating, "You might have noticed some Nintendo-related workshop items getting yanked recently. That's not a mistake - these takedowns are thanks to Nintendo."
They added, "Sure, this is Nintendo's turf, and they get to decide what's cool and what's not. They don't fancy their stuff being played around with in Garry's Mod, and that's their prerogative."
While Nintendo's reputation for taking legal action and guarding its brand is well-known, this sudden move caught folks flat-footed. Since the game's inception, characters from popular Nintendo franchises like Mario have been a staple in Garry's Mod, thanks to the flexibility of the Source engine. This 20-year tradition is a significant reason behind the game's popularity, particularly during the early 2010s when gaming influencers on YouTube were hooked on multiplayer social-deduction games like Prop Hunt and Trouble In Terrorist Town in Garry's Mod.**
It's been a mystery why Nintendo decided to enforce takedowns after all these years, especially given Garry's Mod's act of sometimes being overly permissive about the types of content it allowed.**
In fact, the first hints of takedowns date back a few months ago, but Facepunch didn't announce Nintendo's moves until recently. The removal process has been ongoing since then and is proving to be quite the Herculean task.**
In a playful note, Facepunch jokingly asked their community for help in removing the Nintendo-related content themselves, inviting them to delete their uploads permanently to expedite the process.
This news originally surfaced on Kotaku.**
Interestingly, Nintendo's history with fan content is a mixed bag. Like in 2016, when it issued DMCA takedowns for hundreds of fan games hosted on Game Jolt, including notable titles like AM2R, a Metroid II remake, and Pokémon Uranium and Pokémon Prism[1]. In 2021, Nintendo took down 379 games from Game Jolt, citing concerns over ad revenue used on game pages[1]. Critics have suggested that Nintendo should create clearer guidelines for fan creations, similar to other major gaming companies[1].
The recent takedown of Nintendo-themed content in Garry's Mod aligns with Nintendo's track record. Garry Newman, the game's creator, confirmed that the requests were legitimate, nixing initial speculation that they may have originated from a troll[1]. It's evident that Nintendo continues to actively protect its intellectual property across various platforms and communities.**
- The future of Garry's Mod, a popular sandbox game, is undergoing changes as Nintendo has recently taken down a large amount of Nintendo-related content from the game.
- This sudden action by Nintendo follows a long-standing tradition of Nintendo characters being a staple in Garry's Mod, particularly during the early 2010s.
- While Nintendo's history with taking legal action and guarding its brand is well-known, the recent takedown of content in Garry's Mod, after numerous years of leniency, has caught many by surprise.
- In light of the ongoing content removal process, Facepunch, the creators of Garry's Mod, jokingly invited their community to remove the Nintendo-related content themselves to expedite the process.
