Nintendo plans to crack down on inappropriate use of its characters that makes fans “uncomfortable.”
At a recent shareholder meeting (thanks, Eurogamer), Nintendo President Shuntaro Furukawa was asked to address “cases on social media where Nintendo intellectual property and games are being used inappropriately,” which the shareholder said “risks damaging the value of Nintendo’s intellectual property.”
Neither the shareholder nor Furukawa offered specifics, but it’s pretty safe to assume they’re talking about horny gamers. Back in 2019, Nintendo ruled out the possibility of viral and scantily clad fan-made character Bowsette ever becoming canon, but until now the company has remained silent on the many NSFW fan creations based on Nintendo characters that have surfaced online in the years since.
“Our company aims to implement our management policy of ‘bringing smiles to people’s faces through entertainment’ by offering unique games that everyone can intuitively enjoy,” Furukawa said. “I will not comment on individual cases, but we believe that any behavior that undermines this policy must be addressed with appropriate action.”
It is unclear what specific measure Furukawa is referring to, but Nintendo is known for fiercely protecting its intellectual property through copyright infringement.
“Our goal is to create an environment where everyone can enjoy gaming. We will continue to make every effort to ensure that our consumers do not feel uncomfortable, not only in our games, but also everywhere they come into contact with our intellectual property.”
This vague warning from Furukawa probably won’t do much to quell Nintendo’s horny fanbase, and it’s hard to imagine a strong legal argument against harmless fan mockups that aren’t used for financial gain. If anything, it just draws an even thicker line between fan-made Nintendo characters, especially “inappropriate” ones, and official Nintendo canon.
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