All articles tagged with #fan projects
The Harbour Masters 64 team has released the first public build of 2Ship2Harkinian, a feature-rich PC port of Majora's Mask. This port includes quality of life improvements like free camera control, Ocarina of Time-style saving, and cutscene skipping. Users need to provide their own ROM to play, and the port supports both N64 1.0 and GameCube USA ROMs. The release also features configurable graphics options and framerate customization.
The former legal chief of the Pokémon Company expressed gratitude to the media for bringing attention to fan projects, which often led to potential takedowns. He explained the process of prioritizing such projects and emphasized the reluctance to take legal action against fans. His role also involved various responsibilities beyond legal matters, and he shared insights into the company's approach to handling intellectual property issues.
Former chief legal officer of The Pokémon Company, Don McGowan, revealed that the company didn't actively seek out fan projects to shut down but only did so when they crossed a certain line, such as getting funded. Despite the company's reluctance to sue fans, there have been instances of Pokémon fan projects being issued takedown notices, leading to their removal. The Pokémon Company's response to the Palworld game, which drew comparisons to Pokémon, was fairly tame, and legal experts believe a lawsuit is unlikely.
Valve has recently issued legal threats and takedowns against fan projects, including a Team Fortress 2 remake and a "demake" of Portal for the Nintendo 64, raising concerns about the company's approach to enforcing its intellectual property rights. The takedowns have led to speculation about the specific types of fan projects drawing Valve's legal attention, with developers acknowledging the fair and legal nature of Valve's actions while expressing disappointment over the projects' demise.
The developer of the Portal N64 port, Portal 64, has revealed that Valve asked him to take down the playable build due to its reliance on Nintendo's proprietary libraries. The developer, James Lambert, explained that he expected this request from Valve, as the project was using Nintendo's LibUltra, and he urged fans not to be mad at Valve, as he understood their position. This incident highlights the challenges faced by fan projects involving copyrighted material, as seen with the recent takedown of Team Fortress: Source 2, while some community-made mods like Portal: Revolution have received official approval from Valve.
Valve has issued DMCA takedown notices to fan projects including Team Fortress: Source 2, a TF2 port to the Source 2 engine, and Portal 64, a Nintendo 64 port of the 2007 puzzler, signaling a shift towards a more protective stance on its intellectual property. The move comes as a surprise, given Valve's history of leniency towards fan projects using its IP. The takedowns have left the developers of these projects with no choice but to cease their work, raising concerns among fans and mod makers about the future of similar projects.
Valve has shut down fan projects Team Fortress: Source 2 and Portal 64 following DMCA takedown demands, effectively ending the development of these anticipated projects. Team Fortress: Source 2 aimed to port the classic game to the Source 2 engine, while Portal 64 sought to reimagine the puzzle game on Nintendo 64 hardware. The takedowns were the final blow for both projects, with Team Fortress: Source 2 also facing technical challenges.
Valve has taken action against fan projects including Team Fortress: Source 2 and Portal 64, issuing a DMCA takedown against the former and indirectly causing the removal of the latter due to its reliance on Nintendo's proprietary libraries. This move has surprised the gaming community, as Valve has historically been supportive of fan projects. The unique circumstances of these cases, involving unauthorized use of Valve assets and reliance on Nintendo's proprietary tools, may have prompted these actions, signaling a potential shift in Valve's approach to fan projects.
Amper Software's Team Fortress: Source 2 and James Lambert's Portal 64 fan projects have been shut down after receiving cease and desist demands from Valve. The projects aimed to port Team Fortress 2 to the Source 2 engine and demake Portal for the Nintendo 64, respectively. Valve cited the use of their assets and Nintendo's proprietary libraries as reasons for the takedowns, signaling a potential shift in the company's policy towards fan projects.