Nintendo Shuts Down Browser-Based '3D' Legend of Zelda Demo

I loved what little I did get to play of it. It was well done, and we'll hopefully see more creative projects from the duo.

The only issues that I ran into were some iffy collision detection and having a Zora appear on land at one point. XD Oh, and you could take everything from the shop without paying for it.

BOO!!! for a company thats business is making fun stuff, they are no fun.

Throw me some popcorn!

Unsurprising really, but they're taking it very well, good on them.

The 30 seconds I played while I was at work was awesome. How the **** do you CRAP on a TRIBUTE??!!! REALLY??!!! I'M DONE!!!

Only Nintendo hate free PR.

I knew it would be taken down, lol.

It must have made them nervous having a free 3D (or 'enhanced') version available since they're still selling Zelda 1, basic for about £5

I should have played it when I had the chance!

Sometimes I'm not in 100% in agreement with Nintendo in these situations, but here I absolutely agree. They recreated one of their games completely unmodified, bar the 3D part. I can tell you right now I'd be taking legal action if someone recreated a game I made (And sold), and so would you, too. Good to hear the creators are perfectly okay with it, and that they'll still be able to release the software, just without the Zelda assets.

Smart move by the guys.

1. Free browser version tribute to Zelda.
2. Have Nintendo take it down for more free publicity.
3. Remove Zelda assets and sell it as "the game that was Zelda"
4. Profit.

Id be thankful too, nobody buys games from jerks.

They were basically giving away The Legend of Zelda. That's why Nintendo asked for it to be taken down. Considering what they were legally entitled to do limiting their response to asking that the game be removed is actually a very friendly response.

If they didn't take it down they could never really sell the original again. That's just how it is.

glad to see they are handling it well

To be fair to them, the game only had three dungeons completed. So it wasn't really a full recreation. But what was playable was very close to the original, and it could be misconstrued as officially licensed, which is usually the main issue.

Notice stuff like Konjak's Legend of Princess still exists and is playable, and that's basically a homage to Zelda without being Zelda (and is absolutely awesome, anyone reading this that hasn't played it MUST give it a go, it's short but fantastic).

Of course, they did...

"How surprising and unexpected!"
Said no one ever.

Being that it was not-for-profit and wasn't even complete yet, this seems a little bit unneccesary, especially when if one wanted to, one could play the full version of Zelda I on a for-profit emulator. This project was a lovely homage, and I don't think Nintendo really should have taken it down. That being said, their action is completely understandable and somewhat appropriate, unlike the Youtube crap.

While it was a nice homage, Nintendo DID have every right to take this down. It's a recreation of Zelda you can use on your browser for free, and aside from being 3D, it's pretty much the same (aside from it being incomplete). It's nice to see that the makers are taking this well, and I wish them luck on what comes next for them.

Wished these guys would learn and quit with the remakes.

@123akis web.archive.org/ and put the address in it. Enjoy.

@Clownshoes Yeah if you have no clue how copyright and trademarks work. This is a recreation of their work, not just some fanart.

It sucks for unique projects like this to get shut down! Especially if they are non-profit. They knew the risks though, and plenty of people around.the world got to try their creation and enjoy it, so they should be happy about that at least!

"This was not the greatest game in the world, no. This was just a tribute."

Like+1

I remember seeing some screenshots of this before and got a very 3D Dot Game Heroes vibe from it. I hope that Nintendo would be open to getting a port of that on Nintendo systems.

When are these nimrod idiots going to learn that you can't do this with Nintendo's IPs? Dummies. No surprise this was shut down, however sleek it was.

..dang, was gonna look & missed it..next time guys, use Final Fantasy..

http://web.archive.org/web/20160404022541/http://zelda30tribute.com/

Link to the archived version (which I'm not sure if Nintendo can actually do anything about), if anyone missed it.

You can't pay rent with free exposure. If you think otherwise, would you write me an article for the free exposure?

Called it. Now, did anyone rip the source code?

@rjejr Yeah, Nintendo are such jerks for protecting their own IP.

People need to understand that Nintendo can not allow people to remake games... That they are still actively selling. That is stealing sales.

Nintendo has every right to take this down. This is Nintendo's game, which they still sell, and someone essentially stole it, even if they meant well.

I'm not sure why anyone is saying this is free advertising. It's Zelda from the 1980s. I don't think it needs the advertising

Of course it was taken down, it's Nintendo after all.
Hopefully the creators found solace in the fact that many fans were able to enjoy their work before Nintendo burned it all down.
And to the people bashing the creators of this and many other Nintendo fan projects before it or saying things like "they should've put that effort into their own games", many game developers today (not all) only gained the passion to do so because of their love of various game series including Nintendo's. Whether they're starting out with making a fan game/recreation, or doing so because it's something they love, even if Nintendo has the right to burn everything down, don't look down on those people and their passion.

Nintendo being Nintendo, surprise.

That's Nintendo for you, however backwards they go.

Well I can't say Nintendo don't have every single right to take this down unlike every other fan project they take down since Nintendo is selling the game for 5 dollars on the E-Shop while these guys are fully remaking it free of charge, but that is still quite sad. Also, if anyone bashing these guys just for making this, get ahold of yourselves. There is no reason to bash the guys for making a contribution to something they love and honestly making free fan games is a learning experience for them. Calling them "idiots" like a certain someone is plain out uncalled for and you should feel bad for shaming the same people who will be the future game developers old because they did this. At least they spending their time doing something instead of sitting in a basement and doing nothing besides bash people on the Internet for making a tribute to something they passionate about.

@TeslaChippie Thanks, wanted to show this to my older bro.

should announce your project AFTER its done.

then people can have a full copy to play with and download.

@mystman12 Yea except nobody was selling it or making a profit. Nintendo once again are acting like children. Japanese, out of touch children.

Capcom for example, welcomes this type of stuff.

Damn, didn't get to play it yet.

@Kalmaro Yea, only Nintendo is allowed to keep remaking the same game over and over again and keep selling it to us.

@SupremeAllah Whether or not he was making profit doesn't matter, they were recreating a game that they didn't own, and letting others play it. That's basically the same as taking a game, making copies of it, and giving it away to people for free. Does that sound legal? No. If it was a fan game, with a different layout, different features, and maybe some different assets, that would be one thing, but as it stands this was trying to be a carbon copy of the original LoZ.

Again, think, if you made a game, then someone made a 3D version that was basically exactly the same, I'd certainly think it was neat and be impressed, but I also wouldn't want it to potentially take sales away from my game. So, I would have it removed.

@SupremeAllah does not matter if Nintendo keeps selling the same game, that does not give people the right to copy it and redistribute it for free.

@SupremeAllah Doesn't matter that they weren't selling or profiting. You can't give away someone else's property.

And please cease the passive-aggressive racism involved in criticizing their behavior by calling it acting like Japanese children.

If they don't protect their IP in every situation, they may lose the ability to protect it at all. Even if Nintendo loved this, they cannot let it be.

People never learn. If you're gonna make a Zelda-like game, make one without the IP. Originality is key, just replace Link with an elf.

"It's not theft if I'm stealing from a big company and only earning small ad revenues".

@willobee exactly. Law courts respect precedence.

Willobee is right, unfortunately.

Even if you're really good at it, giving other people's intellectual property away for free is still illegal.

This is new and exciting. People know Nintendo shuts down fan projects. People create fan projects. Nintendo shuts it down. People act surprised and insult Nintendo. Rinse and repreat

I get the business reasons for shutting them down, but something like this which apparently was quite well done serves to promote the brand more than harm it. I don't really see what harm there was in letting them continue.

Maybe they could get these guys to do some official 3d games seeing as Nintendo themselves seem reluctant to do so.

This is a strange situation for a company to be in, and its interesting to see how each company reacts. When the fan made upgrade to Half Life 1 called Black Mesa was released, it could've been instantly canned by Valve. Fortunately that had a better ending than any of these copyright takedowns from Nintendo.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-20-valve-gives-black-mesa-permission-to-be-a-commercial-product

I dunno, maybe there's some ancient contract from like 1986 that says Nintendo has to be lame and toss out C&Ds all over the place. As a consumer though it sucks, no one should be happy over this. That's basically the same as saying "yay, less stuff."

@MajinSoul
Nintendo typically has a really really high tolerance of fan projects compared to other IP holders.

From use of their characters in webcomics over hand made trinkets sold at conventions to actual fan games in their universes.

They draw the line at someone simply giving their actual games away for free, though. These guys would probably have been allowed to stay in business had they had their own overworld map and dungeon designs, and a title that clearly defined it as an unofficial product.

If the creators would have created their own overworld I'm sure it would have stayed up longer. Nintendo does not mind fan works as long as they don't straight up copy their games and/or make money from it. This is why various Nintendo fangaming sites can exist without problems. The creator was practically begging for a takedown with this.

Or they could have contacted Nintendo and tried to secure a partnership? Seems nobody thinks about that.

@Kosmo Sounds like an even faster way to get a C&D to me.

@PanurgeJr If you got any form of "racism" from my comment, then you seriously need to look up the definition of that word and quit being such a raging SJW. It's sad and pathetic.

@Kalmaro It's not like they are just ripping the game and redistributing it as a rom, though. You would have a point if that were the case.

@Fidu Not really. Do you know the game Ittle Dew? That's what they did. Although they had an unfavorable response, Nintendo let them keep their own assets and even welcomed the game on Wii U.

@Kosmo I get your point, but in this particular case the partnership would only have worked if the developer of this tribute used his own assets, characters and world, just like Ittle Dew. A Zelda 1 voxel remake only playable on a browser would never sit well with Nintendo.

Nintendo is business, and one of the most greedy...

@Fidu Sure, this project in particular couldn't have worked. But maybe a 3D-classic Zelda on 3DS? If the team is dedicated, there'd have been a chance.

What's funny about the 'They're just giving their whole game away for free' argument is that there are websites which allow you to play pretty much the whole NES or SNES catalogue via a browser emulator. These sites are literally allowing you to play the complete original game roms and yet they are still up and running.

@TeslaChippie
"Couldn't remembah-haa not The Greatest Game in the World, noooo oh, no!
This is a tribuuuute~
Whoa-oooh, to not The Greatest Game in the World, All riiight!
It was not The Greatest Game in the World, All riiight!
Yes, it was not the best MF'n game, not the greatest game in the world.
Alllll right!!
《Di too badoom bee go dee go goo fligoogigoo, gafligoogigoo, badii! Igigoo gi oo goo googi du badiii! Fligoogigoo, ga fligoogi~》

😁 Glad we're on the same page, homie!

They haven't shut down the other 3D versions of Nes-games, just this one. Does this mean something for E3...?

It looked awesome by the way!

I don't get why people are interested in doing these things knowing they will get caught. Its Intellectual Property and this isn't just Nintendo who's likely to shut down fan projects as there's Konami and many others.

Be happy that Nintendo as of now has never requested a cease and desist for fan translations atleast.

@SupremeAllah rom or not, it is still a copy of a game Nintendo is still selling.

@Kalmaro So Black Mesa, the source engine remake of Half life, was stealing?

The team remaking Resident Evil 2 on the Unreal engine is stealing?

The Mugen fighting engine that uses characters from all fighting games is stealing?

Valve and Capcom certainly weren't concerned with theft or these projects cutting into their sales when they said they had no intention of stopping these projects.

Yes, it was if they did it without permission. In each of those cases though the owners of the materials being used either did not care, did not know or are allowing others to use their property.

None of which changes the fact that these people used property that was not theirs and then made a free version of a game Nintendo is still selling, which hurts profits.

I understand, but why couldn't they learn a bit from these unofficial remakes? God, they basically ignore every fan demand, if these games are a thing, it's certainly because people want them remade somehow.

Same thing with Square and Chrono Trigger. They'll never deliver the sequel and remake we want, but will certainly shut down every attempt of doing so.

@SupremeAllah Oh good, someone who doesn't realize that criticizing a company for acting Japanese is racist. Not surprised, since you don't understand that giving away someone else's work with is copyright infringement. Also not surprised that you went straight for the SJW label as insult. Won't be surprised when you obey Godwin's law.

And Nintendo continues living under a rock. Sad.

Why is everyone so upset? You can still play it on the Wayback Machine...

Why not make your own project instead of ripping off someone else's hard work? Just because you enjoyed Nintendo games doesn't mean that you have the right to plagiarize them. At the very least if you are going to do a tribute don't copy outright...make an actual tribute and create levels inspired by the source material. People have the weirdest since of morality when a company is involved.

@PanurgeJr No need to have a meltdown, buddy. Put down that vegan meal and sip your starbucks. Just take a breath. You are putting words in my mouth to fit your nonsense definition of "racism"

Seriously, look it up because you clearly don't know what it means. Labeling others a racist based on moronic reasoning sounds very much like a SJW to me. You fit the bill perfectly.

"SJW" is a meaningless phrase designed to insult someone who doesn't share another's reactionary politics. Trying to label me with it a second time doesn't make it any less meaningless, nor your initial comment, that Nintendo was acting Japanese, any less racist. I'd quote the dictionary definition you suggest I find, but it would be a pointless exercise, as you would deny it applies to your comment, no matter how obvious the fact that it does. That you descend into stereotype with the "vegan" label is yet further proof of your cultural insensitivity. Indeed, even your ID is insensitive, as you are calling yourself an entire religion's god, a religion whose holy text makes it quite clear people aren't divine. As such I'm not stung by your continued attempts at insult; but neither will I deny what is plain to see.

@PanurgeJr Saying that a japanese company are acting like japanese children isn't racist. You are a fool.

I love you play this game of " I could post the definition of racism, but i would be wasting my time blah blah"

Yea, you would be wasting your time, because it would prove me right. Keep grasping at straws, slick. This username was based on a character from HBO's OZ. Which, according to your flawed logic, is stealing.

Everytime you repond, desperately holding back your tears because as a raging SJW (you call it a pointless label, yet you fit the bill perfectly) seeing racism in everything and anything. It's sad. I'll say it a third time, go read the definition of the word. Put on those thick rimmed weezer glasses and stroke your unkempt beard as you read the definition, sipping your latte and avoiding gluten.

Seriously, you are crying about race in everything from a non racist comment, to my username. You are pathetic. Give it a rest and discuss the actual topic at hand.

@SupremeAllah Arguing that seeing racism somewhere means I see it everywhere is at the same level of fallacy that you have continually demonstrated. The continued stereotypical assumptions meant as insult is at the same level of insensitivity that you have continually demonstrated. You are clearly angry at Nintendo stemming from utter ignorance of copyright law and proper business practice, so if insulting me makes you feel better have at it. I won't even tell you that none of your insults have generated any emotional response from me whatsoever, so that you can pretend that your petulance has in any way succeeded.

Ah, the victim complex. You are a shining example of an SJW. Keep fighting the good fight.

But hey, keep responding in tears because you are in no way upset about me calling you out on your nonsense. At least your utter failure to counter anything I've said just proves you had nothing but false outrage to go on from the start.

RIP,bless this legend i hope you fine guys

Always can expect the "Nintendo does it, so it's bad" argument.

Hey...I'm going to do a 8-bit demake of Uncharted for your web browser...no one will make a peep in my defense when Sony promptly shuts that down with a vengeance.

Nintendo has done it again!
This would've been the best version of the game.
I've never had so much fun playing he original.
This is one of few times where I feel graphics have done a huge difference.
The world simply felt more immersive and/or alive.
Exploring felt really rewarding for some reason, even if it was the same game I've played before.

If Nintendo are being douche bags about this, I feel that it would be justified only if they actually made a version that looks like this or similar enough.
The 3D/2D angle they had was magnificent!

@MIDP
What they did was illegal. Nintendo are not being douche bags.

Uuhm, so telling you that you are a nice guy wouldn't be illegal either, but that would in fact make me a rainbow banana.
That is honestly the worst argument ever to anything.

They are being happy elephants because they don't let their fans enjoy and celebrate the product they love when in this case it wouldn't hurt Nintendo at all, but rather make the brand of Zelda even more familiar.
When fans of other companies do this kind of stuff, they don't shut them down constantly and sue them(not in this case, but many others) like Nintendo does.
That is why Nintendo is still way behind their time and I partially have stopped buying their products and moved to others more and more.

_{@MIDP: Mind your language - Octane}

@bezerker99
The only thing we could do really is to boycott them and/or sign a petition or something.
I have no problem moving to other consoles when Nintendo are acting like this.
Pokemon Company too, btw.

@Steel76
Spot on.

@SupremeAllah
We should stop buying them.

@123akis
You can still if you go to Web Archive