Fans can no longer easily make Pokémon video games

If you're a fan of Pokémon fan-made games, we have some bad news for you. Pokémon Essentials, which is how these games were created, was shut down following the receipt of a takedown notice from Nintendo. As The Verge notes, it's not unusual for Nintendo to send out these kinds of notices, but in this case, Nintendo also went after the Wiki, which means that the instructions on how to create these games is now gone.

The tool Pokémon Essentials was beloved by the fan community because it made it simple to create games within the universe. The RPG mechanics, along with drag-and-drop maps, tilesets, music and more, were built right in. However, it was the well-maintained Wiki that allowed Essentials to thrive, instructing users on how to create their own Pokémon gams.

"The Pokémon Essentials Wiki, and all the downloads for Pokémon Essentials, have been deleted due to a copyright infringement claim by lawyers representing Nintendo of America," Maruno, the final overseer of Essentials, said on a private Twitter account. Nintendo is releasing new Pokémon games this fall, so the timing makes sense.

The online Pokémon fan community is understandably reeling from these events. Pokémon Essentials was a great way for fans and developers to engage with the franchise while also expressing their creativity and figuring out the ins and outs of game development. While Pokémon Essentials might live on -- Nintendo can't go after the versions people have offline, after all -- it's clear that the community has lost a lot through these actions.