Fan-made game Pokemon Uranium no longer available to download after Nintendo takedown notices

After almost a decade in development, a free, fan-made Pokémon RPG called Pokémon Uranium was released on 6 August, but it did not take long for Nintendo to issue a takedown notice to its creators, ordering them to remove download links to the game.

"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," a statement on the game's website stated on 13 August.

"While we have not been personally 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."

Although the download links to the fan-made PC game have been taken down, the developers note that fans will still be able to connect with fellow players.

However, they do warn people still interested in playing the game that any Pokémon Uranium download links that they may come across from non-official sources, may be dangerous.

"We have no connection to fans who reupload the game files to their own hosts, and we cannot verify those download links are all legitimate. We advise you to be extremely cautious about downloading the game from unofficial sources."

In development for over nine years, the game is set in the tropical region of Tandor and featured more than 150 new species of Pokémon designed by fans, including a new, Nuclear type.

"Involutary Twitch," the game's 22-year-old female creative director, told Nintendo News that as of Friday, 12 August, the project had garnered "hundreds of thousands" of downloads.

"We are blown away by the response this game has received, and we thank you all so much for your outstanding support," the developers wrote. "We will continue to provide Pokémon Uranium-related news and updates through our official channels."

Nintendo recently filed copyright claims against the makers of AM2R, an unofficial remake for Metroid 2: Return of Samus that was released to commemorate the franchise's 30th anniversary.

In April, the Kyoto-based gaming giant shut down a browser-based remake of the original The Legend of Zelda, also created as a tribute in celebration of the beloved series' 30th anniversary, for copyright infringement.