Nintendo Power Archive Taken Down

Published: August 9, 2016 6:21 PM /

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Nintendo Power Final

Yesterday, the Internet Archive's previously-reported archive of 145 classic Nintendo Power magazines has disappeared without a trace. While the page still stands, the impressive collection is notably absent, replaced with a simple 'No results matched your criteria'. This takedown seems to coincide with a similar takedown of the well-received fan remake of Metroid II: The Return of Samus titled Another Metroid 2 Remake earlier yesterday.

Nintendo Power, which ended print in December of 2012, was a Nintendo-focused gaming magazine formerly published in house by Nintendo, before being picked up by PC Gamer and Official Xbox Magazine publisher Future US in 2007. The magazine was popular for not only featuring in depth reviews and previews, but also including original comics and detailed strategy guides. The archive contained high-quality scans everything from the magazine's 1988 debut issue to the 2001 Game Boy Advanced cover story. 

We reached out to Nintendo for comment, and have received the following message.

“Nintendo’s broad library of characters, products, and brands are enjoyed by people around the world, and we appreciate the passion of our fans. But just as Nintendo respects the intellectual property rights of others, we must also protect our own characters, trademarks and other content. The unapproved use of Nintendo’s intellectual property can weaken our ability to protect and preserve it, or to possibly use it for new projects.”

We have also reached out to the Internet Archive, but at the time of writing, have not received a reply. The post will be updated as new details emerge.


Quick Take

While this isn't completely unexpected, it's still extraordinarily disheartening. As I mentioned in the original article's quick take, Nintendo Power has a place near and dear in my heart, and seeing the classic issues pop up on the archive was thrilling. While the archive may be down, at least the original issues still exist in thousands of houses nation-wide and some other collections exist online, if not as complete.

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


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| Staff Writer

Filmmaker. Entertainment critic. Genre film aficionado. Has bad taste and hot takes.