The Nintendo logo next to a shot of the G-Man and a soldier in Garry's Mod

Nintendo Issues Takedowns Over Garry's Mod Steam Workshop Content

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Published: April 25, 2024 8:45 AM

Nintendo has issued takedown notices against Valve and Facepunch Studios' sandbox game Garry's Mod, requesting that the game removes all of the user-generated content pertaining to Nintendo's IP from the Steam Workshop.

When this story first began circulating, there was some confusion regarding whether the takedowns were issued by Nintendo or not; some claimed that the takedowns were actually the work of malicious actors posing as Nintendo.

However, a post on the Garry's Mod Steam page confirms that it's Nintendo which is issuing the takedown notices, stating that "this is not a mistake [and] the takedowns came from Nintendo".

Judith Mossman using the Gravity Gun to manipulate a sandwich into the Heavy's mouth in Garry's Mod
Sandbox physics game Garry's Mod is in Nintendo's sights.

Garry's Mod's statement on Steam goes on to say that Nintendo issuing takedowns is "fair enough", since the content in question belongs to the Japanese gaming giant and "what they allow and don't allow is up to them".

Facepunch says that removing user-generated content spanning the 20 years for which the game has been in existence is "an ongoing process", calling on users to help by deleting their own Nintendo-related uploads and "never uploading them again".

Unfortunately, this likely means that any Garry's Mod content on the Steam Workshop that contains overt elements of Nintendo IP isn't long for this world.

Mario dancing with a guitar in the Nintendo game Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey publisher Nintendo is not happy with Garry's Mod players using its IP.

This is far from the first time Nintendo has pursued litigation against fan projects or user-generated content that it perceives to be threatening to its IP.

Earlier this year, the gaming giant sued Switch emulator Yuzu, the makers of which eventually gave into Nintendo's demands, settling with the company out of court.

Nintendo has also issued takedown notices to projects like the fan-made PC port of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening and popular YouTube music channel GilvaSunner, among many others.

Of course, Nintendo isn't the only company to pursue legal action against fan projects and initiatives, but the company certainly seems to be gaining a reputation for being particularly aggressive in this regard.

Stay tuned for more info on this as and when we get it.


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Joe has been writing for TechRaptor for several years, and in those years has learned a lot about the gaming industry and its foibles. He’s originally an… More about Joseph