Nintendo out to stop images of its games being used on Steam
SteamGridDB is a website where Steam users can upload and download alternate images for games that they have in their steam library. In other words, if you want to customize your Steam library a bit when it comes to visuals, this is the best source to do that. Unfortunately for the gang at SteamGridDB, they have drawn the attention of Nintendo’s legal team.
Nintendo has sent a DMCA takedown to SteamGridDB in regards to artwork for 6 games: Pokémon Scarlet, Pokémon Violet, Splatoon 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Super Mario Odyssey, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Nintendo wanted artwork for these games to be removed from SteamGridDB.
Why are these images on SteamGridDB to begin with and why is Nintendo going after them? As you might have guessed, SteamGridDB hosts artwork for all sorts of games that aren’t actually available to download/play legally on Steam. In other words, people often turn to this resource to get Steam-compatible artwork for games they’re playing through emulation.
While SteamGridDB doesn’t host any ROMs for games or even point people in the direction of them, Nintendo doesn’t even want their game artwork on the site. Nintendo imagines that those heading to the site and grabbing this artwork are almost definitely doing so because they’re playing Nintendo ROMs. Rather than causing any pushback or trouble, SteamGridDB has complied with the DMCA request and removed the images.
