Nintendo as of late has been hell-bent on defending their IPs. Titles such as Pokémon Uranium and Another Metroid 2 Remake, are two widely known titles that have been closed down due to this. Well, we can add yet another title to the list; Pokémon Prism, which is a fan-made ROM hack. According to developer Adam via his Twitter account @Koolboyman, Nintendo has filed a Cease & Desist action against the title.
I'm sorry everyone, but Pokemon Prism is cancelled. Thank you for your support. https://t.co/rD5LSr1bQA
— Adam (@Koolboyman) December 21, 2016
Per this document, which can be read here, all work of the title must stop immediately and that all access to the title must be removed. In addition, Adam must agree to never work on titles that infringe on Nintendo’s intellectual properties. Nintendo was very specific about this, even mentioning the Pokémon franchise in their letter.
Yet again, this is an example of a title that has been in the works for years, that Nintendo must have known about. In this instance, the title was in development for 8 years now. So, why is it now that Nintendo has decided to put a stop to Pokémon Prism? Obviously frustrated, Adam goes on to mention that he always expected this to happen. I’m sure no one who puts as much time into a fan-made title wants their project canned, but in this instance at least he’s somewhat positive about it.
Am I surprised? No. There was always a feeling in the back of my head that this might happen. But I didn't want to scare people.
— Adam (@Koolboyman) December 21, 2016
I will say this: The 8 years were not wasted. I gained a lot of experience as a game developer that Nintendo can never take away from me.
— Adam (@Koolboyman) December 21, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEaUQJP_p1A
