After a whopping one and a half million players have already downloaded the fan created game, Pokemon Uranium, it still doesn’t surprise me that the download was removed by the game’s creators. Nintendo has a knack for shutting down the truly impressive fan projects, usually when they are at their peak of popularity, which is strange considering Pokemon Uranium has been in development and circulation for almost ten years. Even stranger is the fact that Uranium has appeared in Top Ten Best Pokemon Fan Games, or at least similar lists, for almost just as long.
Meaning, there is no way Nintendo did not know of the game’s existence. Nintendo simply didn’t seem to feel the need to act upon the game’s development until it became the coolest way to get into Pokemon before Sun and Moon version releases later this year. Its understandable that Nintendo wants to protect their brand, but it seems that most of the this game’s audience are people waiting patiently for the next game to arrive, questionable Alola forms and all. Then again, as Pokemon Go continues to lose players, this could be Nintendo fearing those people will instead turn to Uranium.
As reported on earlier by Kotaku, the developers had this to say in their full statement on the matter,
After receiving more than 1,500,000 downloads of our game, we have been notified of multiple takedown notices from lawyers representing Nintendo of America.
While we have not personally been contacted, it’s clear what their wishes are, and we respect those wishes deeply.
Therefore, we will no longer provide official download links for the game through our website.
We have no connection to fans who reupload the game files to their own hosts, and we cannot verify that those download links are all legitimate. We advise you to be extremely cautious about downloading the game from unofficial sources.
We are blown away by the response this game has received, and we thank you all so much for your outstanding support.
We will continue to provide Pokémon Uranium-related news and updates through our official channels.
You are welcome to continue discussing and sharing content related to the game on our forums and Discord, where there is a very active community.
Thank you for reading, and let’s share the love of Pokémon!
After the game’s smashing success, such a respectable statement comes as a notable gesture. Not once in their statement do they seem angry at Nintendo. Money, obviously, wasn’t their goal with Pokemon Uranium. It was a way to celebrate a franchise they’d come to love so much.
It is wonderful that they’ve claimed to continue to support the game through its update service, which could lead to more events for Pokemon distribution, community tournaments, or other awesome things. Nintendo could definitely learn a thing or two from Pokemon Uranium, as it sort of shows what some of the hardcore fans want as well as the passion that erupts from Pokemon fans.
Personally, I’m blown away by the fact that players can pick a neutral gender character at the start of Pokemon Uranium. This seemingly minor detail could connect the game to those players at a deeper level. Once again a prime example of Pokemon bringing people together.
I’m convinced that world peace will be brought not by great leaders, but by Pokemon and maybe tacos.
In the end, its a shame that players will have to dig a little deeper into the internet to play this well-made love letter to Nintendo. Just be careful that the file being downloaded isn’t malicious.
