Nintendo Is Trying To Shut Down That Super Mario 64 PC Remake

Nintendo has never been shy about sending legal challenges to fan-projects based on their intellectual property, and the unofficial PC port of Super Mario 64 is no different. YouTube footage of the fan-engineered port first emerged last week, which showed off its support for widescreen resolutions and modern visual effects through external software like Reshade. And, as was to be expected, Nintendo is taking steps to shut it down.

That footage has now been removed from the popular video-sharing site, and download links to the port have disappeared across the web. According to the site Torrent Freak, this is due to legal action from Wildwood Law Group LLC, a law firm that has represented Nintendo in similar situations. As first spotted by Torrent Freak, the filed DMCA complaint reads in part: "The copyrighted work is Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 video game, including the audio-visual work, software, and fictional character depictions covered by U.S. Copyright Reg. No. PA[REDACTED]."

While Nintendo has successfully removed the original video and its accompanying download, it will be far more difficult--if not impossible--to completely scrub the existence of the port from the internet. A simple YouTube search reveals dozens of videos that show off the PC port and its advanced graphical features. Similarly, while Nintendo issued a takedown notice for the acclaimed Metroid fan-game AM2R back in 2016, forcing the original developer to step aside, a development group of similarly-minded aficionados have continued to work on it.

According to recent reports, Super Mario 64 will soon make its way to Switch as part of a collection of some of Mario's best games. If you're interested in more Mario madness, a modder has recreated many of the best moments in Super Mario Odyssey in Super Mario 64.

We've reached out to Nintendo to see if they have any comment on these developments, and we will update this accordingly if we receive a response.