Highlights
- Nintendo is enforcing its copyright by requiring the removal of 20 years worth of fan-made content from Garry’s Mod that includes its assets.
- Garry’s Mod, a sandbox game released in 2004, is beloved for its fan-made maps and assets, but now faces the challenge of eliminating Nintendo-related content.
- Players and creators of Garry’s Mod are disappointed as Nintendo demands the removal of music, character skins, and other assets from the game.
Nintendo is known to be highly protective of its IPs, and its latest takedown request has targeted Garry’s Mod, forcing the sandbox game to remove 20 years worth of content that contains Nintendo related workshop assets. Fans of the Super Smash Bros. gaming circuit and various sandbox titles are highly familiar with Nintendo shutting down games with DMCA takedowns. With Nintendo now requesting all of its assets to be removed from the Garry’s Mod section of the Steam Workshop, fans are lamenting the impending loss of community content.
First released in 2004, the sandbox game Garry’s Mod is beloved for its fan-made maps for game modes like Prop Hunt, Death Run, and more. Players frequently utilize the various GMod assets in the Steam Workshop, with thousands of unique items, models, skins, and more. However, the incredible quantity of content has now become a major problem for Garry’s Mod, as Nintendo is requiring the removal of tons of fan creations.
Nintendo Issues DMCA Takedowns to SteamGridDB Art-Sharing Website
Nintendo issues a series of DMCA takedowns to the game artwork website, SteamGridDB, which hosts images from various Nintendo properties.
Revealed in a news posting on the GMod Steam page, Nintendo has formally requested that any and all instances of Nintendo assets be removed from the Steam Workshop, targeting community maps and items used by Garry’s Mod creators. Many GMod fan maps incorporate pop culture references, including assets of iconic characters like Mario and Donkey Kong. Unfortunately for some players, any Garry’s Mod Nintendo content will have to be removed, and any shared workshop items will no longer be available. This includes all content that has been created over the past 20 years, creating a tough road ahead for the Garry’s Mod team.
What Content Is Getting Removed From Garry’s Mod?
In accordance with Nintendo’s takedown request, the GMod team is working to remove all content from its portion of the Steam Workshop containing Nintendo assets. This includes music, character skins, items such as Question Blocks and 1-Up Mushrooms, environmental models such as breakable blocks and flag poles, and static images of Nintendo games, characters, or logos. The content affected includes all community maps and workshop items that have been uploaded since the launch of Garry’s Mod back in 2004. A deadline for the content removal was not specified, but the GMod team did request that users actively assist and delete their own content that contains Nintendo assets. This formal notice to the Garry’s Mod developer follows a larger Nintendo DMCA to Valve last year.
With the immense popularity of Nintendo’s IPs, it is understandable that the gaming giant is protective of its games, characters, music, and more. However, many players continue to voice disappointment with Nintendo’s staunch takedowns, with many hoping that the Japanese company will become more welcoming of community content over time. For now, Garry’s Mod is working diligently to remove all Nintendo assets and content from its segment of the Steam Workshop, along with the deletion of community GMod content.
Garry’s Mod
- Released
- November 29, 2006
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox
