Nintendo is notoriously strict when it comes to fan games, the likes of Pokémon Uranium and AM2R being taken down within days of their release. While this is a contentious issue, Reggie was recently asked about Nintendo’s position in an interview with Waypoint. Directly referring to AM2R, the interviewer asked whether Nintendo had any contact with the Metroid II remake’s creator. His response was certainly interesting, Reggie discussing how Nintendo sees such projects as commercial products without a charge. Do you agree with Nintendo’s strict protection of their franchises? Tell us below.
“We live in an age where people are increasingly blurring the line between fandom and actual creation—finding ways to work directly with fans. So my question is theirs, which is, why wasn’t there a chance there—or even, has there been a chance—to speak to that, to try to work with a fan creator like AM2R‘s Milton Guasti or other fan creators?
So, I think there needs to be clarity in what the line is, and, in our view, the line is when an initiative crosses from being an homage to something that is monetizing our IP. We allow homages to exist in a variety of different ways. And, for me personally, as a fan before I was an executive, I understand the attraction that you could have to our IP. But, when it transitions to something that… now, you’re trying to monetize, you’re trying to sell, you’re trying to profit off of, that is what broaches or breaks through that line for us, where we have to claim our IP protection.
How are you talking about monetization here, because with AM2R, that was a game that anyone could download for free, and again I think, for fans, there was this notion of, “go talk to that person,” or “go talk to other fan creators” and see if there’s a way to not kill that project, to investigate the ideas that happening there that are exciting, who knows.
But again, to differentiate this, we have had conversations with entities that started as fans and became more of a business partner. Those conversations happen all the time, but again, when something transitions to a commercial product, and that’s what [AM2R] was—there wasn’t a charge, but it was now a commercial product”.
Still have it though. Still gonna buy Samus Returns though.
People don’t seem to get this but it makes so much sense.
If you can get your Metroid fix from a free fan game, why would you still buy the real deal?
It’s not about the profit these fans would make, it’s about the profit Nintendo could potentially miss.
If a metroid game came out every day I would play every single one of them.
Ofcourse you would do that. But casual players wouldn’t, and that’s the point.
yes and casuals also wouldn’t come in contact with fangames
The same reason COD fans play every single COD game that comes out each year, each game is a different story and experience. I downloaded AM2R, but it’s didn’t stop me from wanting an official Metroid game, hell it fueled the damn flame of me wanting Metroid Samus Returns and Metroid Prime 4. In fact I now want a physical port of the first 3 Metroid Prime games on the Switch, in fact I’ll go even further and take a complete Metroid collect on the Switch, including the DS version and Metroid Other M.
LOL They are Different? LOL
Yeah but legally speaking, gauging the loss isn’t easy to do. It’s possible that the free fan game is reigniting people’s nostalgia and willingness to buy the official product made by a team of professionals. They’re different “products”, served for different purposes and are legally and logically different. If the argument is “potential loss”, why not sue ubisoft or EA who are making competing games for the mass market?
The answer is simple: Ubisoft and EA are not using Nintendo’s IP.
Judging by that logic, one could just buy either Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land, or Super Mario World, and completely ignore ALL the additional sequels.
But what if, pray tell, someone already beat ALL the Metroid games and after the crap Other M and the joke that is Federation Force, they we’re left with a void of no true/good Metroid game?
Let’s look at the sliding scale of IP to player relevance:
-Last Sonic game period: Any previously beaten Sonic game to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
-Last unplayed Sonic game: Any Sonic fan game to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
-Last official Sonic game: Sonic Runners to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
-Last Nintendo port Sonic game: Sonic Boom to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
-Last non-Boom non-mobile Sonic game: Sonic Lost World to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
-Last good Sonic game: Sonic Generations to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
-Last decent Nintendo port Sonic game: Sonic Colors to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
-Last Sonic game with playable characters: Sonic 2006 to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
-Last Sonic Adventure game: Sonic Adventure 2 or Sonic Adventure DX to Sonic Mania/Sonic Forces
Your argument is invalid!
What argument? I got lost
lol
Invalid, or well over your close-minded head.
Been away for three weeks and I get this reply? lol
How about three years.
7
You have a counter-argument to support that claim?
That argument doesn’t make sense to me. When you enjoy a series, do you stop with just one game? If you are worried about a single game stopping someone from playing other installments, there’s roms and emulators of older games in the series that can give the exact same result with Nintendo getting no money and sales. If fans really cared about a series, they would buy the first game the company has put out in over a decade.
Everyone saying stuff like “if you really like a a series you support the company who makes it” doesn’t understand that if fan projects don’t get stopped they are also a “company who makes it”.
What if the fans made an annual Metroid series? for free?
Ofcourse YOU would still buy the Nintendo made ones; but the risk exists a lot of people would not.
Also, if they allow this Metroid game their legal position to anyone using their franchises would weaken. It would send the message that it’s okay to use their franchise and lawyers can use that.
Their legal position may even weaken to an extend where they can’t even defend themselves when, for example, Microsoft goes and makes a Mario game.
They gave us so much Metroid for GameCube and Wii people got tired. They hated Other M.
I actually liked Metroid Other M, but I like a lot of hated games soooo….. O_O
Other M wasn’t as bad as people make it out to be. The story was completely brutal on the senses, but the gameplay was mostly good.
People hated Other M because it is the worst thing created by mankind, not because of “too much Metroid”….
Federation Force….
Never forget.
False… Federation Force takes that title
People hated Other M because it was bad, I doubt another Prime or a better 2D game would have been well-received.
Wouldn’t*
If you truly care about these people tell them to stop wasting their time infringing copyright and use their talents to create something of their own.
Some of these comments really sum up this Fandom in a nutshell.
It’s called Copyright and like it or not these Fan Games are breaking Copyright Laws and if you’re against someone wanting to protect their IP then by the same logic you shouldn’t be complaining when someone reposts someone’s artwork because I see a lot of people complaining over that yet for some reason you lot are in favour of this?
I don’t get this Fandom sometimes I really don’t.
So the next time a franchise is dead or impaired, what are people supposed to play? Nothing?
Or are we supposed to just accept the bullshit Nintendo churns out, and no other alternative, even if it’s done so much better.
You know there are modders who fixed both E.T. and Simon’s Quest right?
wat?
That doesn’t make any sense!
You can move on instead of getting emotionally fixated to a franchise like an autistic halfwit.
Metroid stopped being good? Well, play Castlevania, or Axiom Verge, or better yet, enlist these talented people and make a new game and maybe you’ll create a franchise and one day be a famous dev that can actually ask Nintendo to let them make a new Metroid game.
Sitting in the basement cloning an already existing game is a waste of time and talent, these people need to be creating new games and building their reputations as developers.
My opinion doesn’t call for you labeling people as autistic. Do you even know what that word means?
@Amanfromdecian You play the legitimate games? the ones that are there? not that hard of a Concept to understand.
Bullshit? ok kiddo next time I’ll take something you created without your permission and make it my own then :)
Fine, just don’t try to profit off of it.
Oh, and lose the ego, and don’t call me kid, because I’m not one.
The stop acting like a kid then and I won’t have a reason to call you one.
Btw I don’t have an ego I’m stating how it is too bad you can’t see it like that.
You have no right to insult anyone, period.
Then
Exactly.
And the thing is, when you look at something like Axiom Verge you can tell it is just a Metroid game with a different paintjob, but since it has a different name there’s no problem with the people behind it making it and making money with it.
It irks me that the fandom defends mediocrity when these people could be using their talents to make all-new games and enrich the genre while making money, instead of being in mom’s basement infringing copyright.
Nintendo basically made AM2R the most notorious fangame of all time.
Wouldn’t that mean the game is hated if it was “notorious?”
More Reggie BS.
I recognize Nintendo’s right to file these sorts of games, provided that revenue is coming in from somewhere (even of not from “sales”). I don’t think the logic is usually sound. These types of projects generally result in free advertising and increase interest in official projects.
Can’t blame them for pouncing on a Metroid 2 remake while they were making one, though.
When a fangame stays in the fandom, then only the fans that buy every game and look for fan content discover it. But when it gets all the advertisement and internet sensationalization that AM2R, Pokemon Uranium etc had, then it’s reaching out into the commercial environment where people are making choices whether to buy a game, or invest their attention in a similar free product on their PC.
I think the problem here is just the publicity. Keep them away from mainstream media and Nintendo probably won’t care
Nintendo has full rights to do what they did. Everyone has a sense of entitlement nowadays, these companies can cut through that easily.