Bottom line: Welp, that didn't take long. Nintendo is already going after the fan-made Super Mario 64 PC port that hit the Internet last weekend according to a recent report from Torrent Freak. It's unfortunate for gaming fans but the truth of the matter is that Nintendo is well within its lane to do so.
The publication notes that Nintendo has tasked its lawyers and representatives with scrubbing the Internet of any existence of the unauthorized Super Mario 64 PC port. One law firm, Wildwood Law Group LLC, filed a complaint with Google this week, stating that the reported file contains an unauthorized derivative work based on Nintendo's copyrighted work.
"The copyrighted work is Nintendo's Super Mario 64 video game, including the audio-visual work, software, and fictional character depictions covered by U.S. Copyright Reg. No. PA[REDACTED]," the notice further points out.
The efforts appear to be paying off, at least to some degree. Reddit posts about the game as well as some YouTube videos showing gameplay footage have been removed due to copyright claims. Torrent Freak notes that at least one Google Drive URL containing the game files is still active, however.
Nintendo is notoriously protective of its intellectual property, and rightfully so. Regardless of how awesome this game and others like the fan remake of Metroid II that took more than eight years to make are, the truth of the matter is that Nintendo is the rightful owner and any use of its IP without permission is grounds for legal action.
The actions by Nintendo against the fan-made PC port weren't unexpected. Unfortunately for Super Mario 64 fans, we're now left to wait and see if Nintendo's rumored Super Mario 64 remake actually comes to fruition. Fingers crossed.