We all know that The Pokemon Company is highly defendant of its Pokemon IP and it has recently emerged that they have sent a DMCA take down notice to popular Pokemon fan site, Relic Castle, which was on the verge of celebrating being a decade old. The site provided links to hundreds of Pokemon fan games, which had been creating by eager fans over the years. The news was picked up by Kotaku which said that the site itself didn’t host any of the content and reached over 20,000 members and had 65,000+ posts. The site operators posted a farewell message on social media network X, which you can read below.
Thanks to DemiGOD for sending in the news tip!
I blame Kotaku cuz they mentioned it and now the site is gone. I’ve never visited the site so I’m surprised they never sniffed them out until now.
No. Blame the pokèmon company. They decided to shut it down not Kotaku. Blame the pokèmon company.
Nope, I will still blame Kotaku cuz ever time they mention something it gets sniffed out so no.
They’re both to blame. Kotaku just sucks more than TPC, though.
blaming the messanger..
This sucks. I hate it when companies use their power to stifle creativity.
And I hate the people who defend the wrongdoers, it’s the companies that are the victims. Even if it’s well-intentioned, they did it without authorization so it violates copyright, end of story. Whether it’s Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft or anyone else; They have every right to defend what belongs to them. We have to stop believing that everything is free and open to all, whether on the net or anywhere else… Creativity has nothing to do with it, If you want to create something from something that doesn’t belong to you, you ask permission from the company or the person concerned, it makes sense… But apparently it’s too complicated for some to understand
“It’s the companies that are the victims” oh cry me a river, people prefer playing some rom hacks made with no profits instead of paying 60 dollars for unfinished garbage. How will they recover after this???
Stated before, but fan works pose zero threat to fully fledged games. The vast majority of people aren’t going to play a fan game over a new release, and pretending like it would is asinine.
AM2R is a fantastic video game, and it still didn’t affect the sales of Samus Returns or Metroid Dread. AM2R still exists and is still getting updated, and its existence has not affected sales negatively in the slightest.
Fan games are free advertisements. It’s genuinely that simple
Please Stop talking
‘please stop having discussions related to the topic of the news, is not like i can avoid it by not looking down’
the companies are the victim??? LMAO. Nintendo going after a random fan website or going after random content creators doesnt do shit to them (other than make them look bad). these sites make no money or break any rules at all, it’s just a forum for people to talk about how fun the brand is & to share their own free games on. it’s also impossible to ask for permission from Nintendo since they either say no to everyone or dont respond at all, but that might be to complicated for you to follow lol. Nintendo is the only gaming company I know that has been around for longer than I have & somehow hasn’t figured out that fans aren’t machines, is beyond me. they expect you to buy a game; play the game; finish the game; wait for the next game to come without doing anything until then. this isn’t normal human behaviour.. and so no one does that, but they still expect it.
These fans should’ve used their “creativity” to just make something original. I’ve never understood the fan-game obsession or defenders of it.
This has always been my stance on this, and always will be. I fail to see what’s being stifled here. It’s no one’s fault but their own for not understanding laws and simple business logic.
”I’ve never understood the fan-game obsession or defenders of it” it’s really simple, people love a franchise and enjoy making their own versions of these creations, by your logic you should be against fanarts and videogame ost remixes too, and i really doubt you, a megaman fan, a franchise that gets little to no recognition by capcom except some games from to time to time, Never enjoyed any creations made by fans, i believe companies should support fan creations like valve, Black Mesa is one of the best half life games ever made and it’s a fan remake endorsed by valve itself, the fans are happy and the company gets profit by supporting these projects. it’s a win win for everybody.
Fan games don’t take anything away from full release games. Never has a fan game released and caused a loss in sales for any franchise because that’s not how the human brain works. If a company releases a game within a franchise and that game is good, people will want to play it, most will buy it. Fan games do nothing but be free advertising for the franchise itself.
When big companies shut down these projects, people notice, and because these fan games already pose zero threat to the franchise as a whole, all this boils down to is a company stifling creativity of their fans.
Let me frame it this way: why do you think Sonic Mania was made? It’s very simple, a group of talented individuals pitched the game to SEGA. But how did this group prove that they could fulfill what they promised in their pitch? They pointed to the plethora of fan works they made up to that pitch. Those mobile rereleases prior to Mania were made because the fan games proved the talent of the developer. SEGA deliberately chose to NOT stifle those fans creativity and enthusiasm for their franchise.
Fan games are harmless at worst and hugely beneficial at their best. There has never been an issue with fan games existing, and I’m honestly unsure why anyone on here would ever doubt that. “Business logic” is meaningless when shutting down fan works and those that host them has no benefit to the company in the first place.
Oh, and if you read the article it mentioned that this Pokémon site never even hosted files for the fan works in the first place. It was primarily a community led website for fans to communicate with one another. That is the definition of a company using their power to stifle the creativity of their fans
except they dont break any rules (or laws?) & you dont seem to understand that people make games/drawings because they’re passionate about it, somehow? if I grow up reading superhero comics & so I make my own comic with a made up character or something, but it happens to look like something that already exists, it’s suddenly not creative or normal anymore? so basically all kinds of imagination/creativity/passion to make something yourself is bad, because a billion dollar company might get mad lol. it’s also not simple business logic to attack fans & make them not want to buy your games anymore, when they’re clearly a big fan of the brand. there’s a reason Nintendo is alone in this, while other gaming companies would do anything for a fanbase like that.
Sofiona is right. Glad that lil TPC (the victim) took down the big bad evil “””fan”””games (the wrongdoers)! Serves those heretics right.
If other companies would need an agreement and license to make Pokémon games, why do people think fans get a free pass?
I can’t say I am too shocked anymore. It is Pokémon, it is a matter of time before Pokémon, Nintendo, descends onto you. o7
Regarding the takedown of the large Pokémon fan site Relic Castle by The Pokémon Company, it’s essential to remember that legal actions can occur when copyrighted material is used without permission, even in fan communities. This event underscores the importance of respecting intellectual property rights. Similarly, when it comes to ensuring safety while using apps like Loklok for movies, it’s crucial to use legitimate platforms and sources to avoid any legal or security issues. Always prioritize safety and legality when enjoying digital content.
Castle App has been making headings for its unmatched streaming capabilities and customization qualities, but most streamers are unaware of this digital asset.