Unsurprisingly, Nintendo Has Unofficial Zelda: Link’s Awakening PC Port Pulled Offline

The creator of an unofficial PC port of Game Boy Color classic Link’s Awakening that went viral on social media this week has pulled it offline after receiving a takedown notice from Nintendo.

Creator ‘linksawakeningdxhd’ uploaded a PC port of 1998’s Link’s Awakening DX complete with HD visuals, 120fps scrolling, and widescreen support, to itch.io. But the game’s files were suspended following a copyright claim.

The takedown notice was published on itch.io, and is reproduced in full below:

To Whom It May Concern:

I am an authorized representative of Nintendo of America Inc., owner of the following copyrighted material:

PA0002212311 (The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening) and PA0000772666 (Legend of Zelda : Link’s awakening (Game Boy version).

It has come to our attention that the following game, https://linksawakeningdxhd.itch.io/links-awakening-dx-hd, offered on Itch.io infringes and makes unauthorized use of Nintendo’s copyrights in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening video game.

For additional information visit Nintendo’s website at the following URLs:

https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/game-boy-nintendo-switch-online-switc…

https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/the-legend-of-zelda-links-awakening-s…

Please act expeditiously to remove the download and information page for the infringing game.

I have a good faith belief that the material is not authorized by the intellectual property owner, its agent, or the law. The information provided in the notice is accurate, and I swear under penalty of perjury that I am authorized to make the complaint on behalf of the intellectual property owner.

Sincerely,

Nintendo Legal

Nintendo of America Inc.

4600 150th Avenue NE

Redmond, WA 98052

425-882-2040

[email protected]

The port drew attention because it let players zoom out to get a complete view of Koholint Island, with all the NPCs and enemies remaining active.

I’ve found out that there’s a port of Zelda Link’s Awakening for PC and I’m amazed with it. This version not only offers widescreen support, but the game now runs at a single screen without any transitions and you can zoom out to see more of the overworld. pic.twitter.com/yQBbbFeytn

— Vinícius Medeiros (@VinciusMedeiro6) December 13, 2023

It comes as no surprise to see Nintendo take action here. The company behind Mario has a reputation for taking swift action against fan projects, which it has done multiple times over the years.

Indeed, Nintendo released an official Link’s Awakening remake of its own for the Switch back in 2019. “Updating the look but never losing the feel of the original, Link’s Awakening is a masterclass in remaking a classic,” we wrote in our review.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].