As usual with Nintendo, fan-made projects of its iconic titles never stay too long in circulation.
As such, a Zelda fan's fan-made demo, which turned the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's 2D prototype into a playable game, is no more. Nintendo has asked WinterDrake, the person behind Breath of the NES, to shut the project down.
Nintendo Shuts Down 'Breath Of The NES'
WinterDrake has posted via Twitter what appears to be a DMCA takedown from Nintendo of America. The complaint states that the project uses several Nintendo copyrights, because of which the game will no longer be available through itch.io. A number of other fanmade projects had also received the same treatment, including a Pokémon title last year.
But It's Not Over Yet
The developer, however, isn't abandoning the project anytime soon, at least not entirely. In a tweet, WinterDrake says:
"Don't worry, the project will come back bigger and better than ever!"
While Nintendo's response was expected, the setback won't stall the game's development. WinterDrake says that the game is going to move forward as a "spin-off project," with the game becoming a "a bigger, better original version" that'll come with higher-resolution artwork. All the gameplay and design featured on Breath of the NES will be ported over to the new game, says WinterDrake.
Anyhow, it looks like the developer isn't worried at all about the notice from Nintendo. In fact, it appears that he anticipated such a response. WinterDrake even said that using copyrighted elements was a "planned decision."
WinterDrake did not share specific details about the new game, but for those who want to see the playable 2D demo of Breath of the Wild, head on over to WinterDrake's website.
Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Nintendo previously gave everyone a look at a NES-style Breath of the Wild demo during the Game Developers Conference, created as a prototype to test open-world elements that would later end up in the final game. The demo paved the way for the developers to test cutting down trees, setting grass on fire, and more.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released on March 3, the last first-party title for the struggling Wii U, and the first first-party title for the promising Switch, Nintendo's brand-new hybrid console. The game received tons of accolades, with many praising Nintendo's careful attention to the open-world genre, enriched Zelda elements, and the freedom with which players are given to venture out into the massive world of Hyrule.
Breath of the Wild currently sits atop Metacritic's list of top video games this year. What's on the no. 2 spot? The Wii U version of the game. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, recently released for the Switch, sits on the fourth place, trailing behind Persona 5 for the PlayStation 4, which sits on the third spot.
Thoughts about Breath of the NES? Are you pumped about how this spin-off project will turn out? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
