After ‘Palworld’, Nintendo is now targeting fan-made videos

2 October, 2024

Super Mario RPG. Credit: Nintendo.

Nintendo has forced fan-made videos to be removed from YouTube while work on Switch emulator Ryujinx has also been halted.

Last month, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company confirmed they had started legal action against Palworld developer Pocketpair, claiming the studio had infringed on “multiple patent rights”. Pocketpair responded to the “truly unfortunate” lawsuit by promising to take the “appropriate legal proceedings”. The studio also launched the long-awaited PlayStation version of Palworld. 

It’s now been revealed that Nintendo has also started targeting fan-made YouTube videos. Content creator Retro Games Corps uses their channel to educate gamers about emulators and game preservation. “We look at all the ways we can enjoy classic games in a safe, legal, and fun manner.”

However, last week they received a takedown notice from Nintendo for a video that featured the retired WiiU console. “It does appear my worst fears are true, and that I am being specifically targeted by Nintendo,” they wrote in a lengthy statement on social media.

They explained how they could submit a counter-claim, but didn’t want to open “that can of worms with a multi-billion dollar company.” To ensure their entire channel doesn’t get shut down, Retro Games Corp will no longer be featuring Nintendo games, while all existing videos will have Nintendo-related content blurred out.

And Nintendo hasn’t stopped there either. It’s been reported that work on Switch emulator Ryujinx has stopped after the owner was “offered an agreement to stop working on the project, remove the organisation and all related assets he’s in control of.” Taking to social media, one defiant developer wrote: “The future of game preservation does depend on individuals, and maybe one day it’ll be properly recognized.”

Earlier this year, Nintendo forced the Yuzu emulator to shut down and owners had to pay the company £1.9million following the removal of the Dolphin emulator from Steam.

A Nintendo spokesperson said the company “is committed to protecting the hard work and creativity of video game engineers and developers”. While emulation is legal, “using illegal emulators or illegal copies of games harms development and ultimately stifles innovation,” the company claimed. “Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of other companies, and in turn expects others to do the same.

In other news, Activision Blizzard has shared a brutal, monster-filled live-action trailer for upcoming Diablo 4 expansion Vessel Of Hatred.

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