Prominent YouTuber and speedrunner PointCrow has had several Zelda videos demonetized seemingly because they show modded versions of Breath of the Wild that made multiplayer possible, prompting him to call out Nintendo.
In 2022, PointCrow released a video of a working version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild with four-player co-op. This was after he had previously put a $10,000 bounty on anyone who could make the feature possible.
However, Nintendo has seemingly hit back at the modded version by striking several videos on PointCrow’s YouTube that showcased the mod.
“Incredibly disappointed that Nintendo has decided to block my videos on Breath of the Wild,” he said. “It’s the love for the community and the innovation that we bring to it that has kept it alive & brought new people to love the Zelda series. I hope you reverse your decision soon.”
Incredibly disappointed that @NintendoAmerica has decided to block my videos on Breath of the Wild. It’s the love for the community and the innovation that we bring to it that has kept it alive & brought new people to love the Zelda series. I hope you reverse your decision soon. pic.twitter.com/CtvjpmBrs3
— eric pointcrow (@PointCrow) April 7, 2023
PointCrow has appealed the decision, and as of right now, the videos are still available for people to watch. However, as the claim is unresolved, they are no longer monetized. That’s certainly a hit too as all of the videos have over 1 million views, with several at over 2 million.
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Unfortunate timing
Interestingly, this takedown has come just a day after PointCrow had advertised the mod becoming public through his Discord server. It’s not clear if these strikes on his videos are related or just coincidental timing.
Nintendo has had a frayed relationship with content creators in the past. Last year a YouTuber got over 500 strikes for the use of Nitnendo soundtracks on his channel. The company also ran the controversial Creators Program from 2015 to 2018, which allowed YouTubers to use copyrighted materials, but they had to share the advertising revenue with Nintendo.
Of course, Nintendo has a right to protect its IP and products, and modded versions of games can become legally complex. It’s likely within Nintendo’s right to pull the videos if they believe they can harm their products, though PointCrow has argued that: “I significantly transform their work and my videos are under fair use.”
Dexerto has reached out for comment from Nintendo. We will update this story with any response.