Nintendo plans to take action against inappropriate use of its characters that makes fans “uncomfortable.”
In a recent shareholder meeting (thanks, Eurogamer), Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa was asked to address “cases on social media where Nintendo IP and games are used inappropriately,” which the shareholder said “poses the risk of damaging the value of Nintendo IP.”
The shareholder nor Furukawa named any specifics, but it’s pretty safe to assume they’re talking about horny gamers. Back in 2019, Nintendo ruled out the possibility of the viral and scantily clad fan-made character Bowsette ever becoming canon, but until now the company has stayed silent on the many NSFW fan-made creations based on Nintendo characters that have been surfacing online in the years since.
“Our company aims to achieve our management policy to ‘bring smiles through entertainment’ by proposing unique games that anyone can intuitively enjoy,” Furukawa said. “I will refrain from commenting on individual cases, but we believe that appropriate action must be taken against any behavior that undermines this policy.”
It’s unclear what specific action Furukawa is referring to, but Nintendo is notorious for being fiercely protective of its IP through copyright strikes.
“Our goal is to create an environment where everyone can enjoy playing games. We will continue to make every effort to ensure that our consumers are not made to feel uncomfortable, not only in our games but also anywhere they come into contact with our IP.”
This vague warning from Furukawa is unlikely to significantly suppress the horny contingent in Nintendo’s fanbase, and it’s hard to imagine a strong legal argument against harmless fan mockups that aren’t being used for financial gain. If anything, it’s just drawing an even thicker line between fan-made Nintendo characters, especially “inappropriate” ones, and official Nintendo canon.
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