YouTuber Defeats Nintendo Over Cancelled Zelda Game
In a rare win, one YouTube channel has successfully escaped a copyright takedown from the notoriously strict Nintendo lawyers.
04th Jan 2023 16:22
Images via Nintendo
YouTuber Defeats Nintendo Over Cancelled Zelda Game
In a rare win, one YouTube channel has successfully escaped a copyright takedown from the notoriously strict Nintendo lawyers.
04th Jan 2023 16:22
Images via Nintendo
If there's one thing Nintendo is good at, it's slapping those trying to turn a profit - or even simple fans - with an airtight copyright takedown.
The House that Mario built is known for storming Princess Peach's Castle with its legion of lawyers - scrubbing anything from the internet that it's not a fan of. Whether that's unofficial tournaments or ideas that never came to be, Nintendo doesn't hold back.
What Happened To Heroes Of Hyrule?
For those who haven't heard about Heroes of Hyrule, it was a canned Nintendo game from Metroid developer, Retro Studios. Hoping to expand the beloved Zelda series, it was thought play like Final Fantasy Tactics.
Sadly, Heroes of Hyrule was stopped in its tracks, as Nintendo asked Retro to focus on Metroid Prime 3: Corruption instead. Set hundreds of years in the past, there were three playable characters included Dunar the Goron, Seriph the Rito, and Krel the Zora.
When time skipped forward, there would be some more traditional Zelda gameplay with a young boy called Kori. Don't worry though, the Hero of Time would still be kicking around, as in the "present day," we'd meet an aged version of Link who ran an antique shop.
There was a massive data mine from a YouTube channel called DidYouKnowGaming, with concept art and everything making its way out into the net. This didn't sit well with Nintendo, which promptly threw out an irate copyright notice.
Nintendo's Copyright Claim Doesn't Stand
The story doesn't end here though, and if you want to check out Heroes of Hyrule... you can. The video has been restored to its former glory.
DidYouKnowGaming confirmed the video's return and thanked the various media outlets that reported on the original takedown. The channel also thinks that the negative press Nintendo received might've persuaded the company to back off.
Channel owner Shane Gill also tweeted that when you counter a DCMA strike, the striker has 10 working days to prove it's taking legal action, otherwise, the video is restored. He's accused Nintendo of going against journalistic integrity.
Nintendo is presumably a little red-faced right now, as on the first day back, the Heroes of Hyrule video racked up an impressive 20,000 views. Still, there's a chance Nintendo could fire up its claim at a future date.
It might be hard to believe that Nintendo would come after the concept art of a game that never existed, and that has been forgotten for over 20 years. Still, it shows that nothing is out of reach of Ganondorf's clutches.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
