Garry’s Mod, the sandbox game that runs on user-generated content, has reportedly been hit with a raft of DMCA takedown notices from Nintendo, flagging mods that introduce fan-made Nintendo content into the game. As a result, the game’s overseers are currently going through 20 years of mod uploads, removing anything even remotely adjacent to Nintendo’s IP.
“Honestly, this is fair enough,” the Garry’s Mod team wrote on Steam. “This is Nintendo’s content and what they allow and don’t allow is up to them. They don’t want you playing with that stuff in Garry’s Mod – that’s their decision, we have to respect that and take down as much as we can.”
Anyone who has ever uploaded Nintendo-related content for Garry’s Mod via Steam Workshop is being encouraged to actively remove their creations and never upload them again, to aid Facepunch Studios and Valve in dealing with the DMCA notices.
Read: Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu to shut down after legal settlement
In recent years, Nintendo has become more protective of its IP, pursuing a range of creators for exploiting and/or misusing its most famous characters. A number of emulators have recently been shut down in this pursuit, and it appears Nintendo is now looking further to protect its property.
As noted by Facepunch, Garry’s Mod has over 20 years worth of downloads currently available for users, and some of these downloads contain facsimiles of Nintendo characters and designs. Following receipt of multiple DMCAs from Nintendo, they are now being taken down – but the process may be slow, due to the sheer volume of uploads to comb through.
Per The Verge, there have been multiple popular Nintendo-related maps in Garry’s Mod for years, with player creations including a version of Super Mario 64 with shooter gameplay, and an explorable Hyrule starring Link. Garry’s Mod is a creator-focussed game, providing the means for players to easily create their own gameplay experiences, so it makes sense that many would start with their favourite adventures and characters.
Unfortunately, it seems these experiences are set to vanish over the coming weeks, as moderators work to weed out any creations that infringe on Nintendo’s intellectual property. As mentioned, if you’ve got a creation on Steam Workshop that uses Nintendo’s IP, it’s best to remove it – or it will be removed for you.
