562 titles on Game Jolt were issued with DMCA takedown notices
[Update:Game Jolt has anad revenue sharing schemefor developers, meaning that games distributed via this service are essentially monetised. This may help explain Nintendo’s rationale for the takedowns]
Not to be contented with just the removals ofPokémon Uranium VersionandAnother Metroid 2 Remake, it looks as if Nintendo of America has set its sights on a large number of other fan-made projects that utilise Nintendo’s intellectual property.
According to the indie game websiteGame Jolt, Nintendo has recently issued over 500 DMCA takedown notices pertaining to various fan projects. Despite the fact that this does prevent the games from being downloaded by members of the public, Game Jolt is quick to note that titles hit with a takedown notice are not removed from the service entirely. The pages related to games affected by these takedown notices are still accessible by developers in order to ensure that no work is actually lost.
While it unfortunate that developers affected by these takedown notices are essentially losing an avenue to advertise and distribute their creations, it should be noted that Nintendo is well within its rights to enforce such control over its own IP. Still, it does suck to see these games get taken down in such a manner.
