Video Game News, Rumors, Gameplay, Game Discussion, and other video game adjacent content. He’s a game developer, and I’m a professor. Together, we’re Prof and Dev Play Games.
I fully believe that this is the reason the mod was taken down. Rico's own Playable Zelda mod (when re-uploaded) wasn't taken down, but he was forced to change it to an "original character" and say this on the mod: "This mod is designed solely for entertainment purposes and is intended to be used with legally obtained copies of the original game. All content included in this mod, including but not limited to characters, artwork, and game mechanics, has been independently developed and is not authorized or approved by Nintendo. Specifically, any characters present in this mod have no relation to Zelda or any other characters from the Legend of Zelda series, nor any other intellectual properties or franchise owned by Nintendo. The creators of this mod do not claim ownership of any intellectual property rights related to the Legend of Zelda series, and no revenue is generated from its distribution. By downloading and using this mod, you acknowledge that Nintendo retains all rights to the Legend of Zelda series and its related intellectual properties. This mod is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. The creators of this mod shall not be held liable for any damages or issues that may arise from the use or misuse of this mod. We encourage all users to support the original developers and creators by purchasing official games and merchandise. This mod is intended to celebrate the creativity and passion of the gaming community and should be enjoyed in that spirit. If you have any concerns or issues regarding this mod, please contact the creators directly." Take note of this part: "We encourage all users to support the original developers and creators by purchasing official games and merchandise". In other words, buy our new game instead of using mods. Personally, I really dislike that they've done this. I disagree with them that Zelda's ballad was "competition". In the first place, not everyone can emulate and mod or hack old devices or is even willing to do so. The vast majority of the audience will never play a mod like Zelda's Ballad due to the effort involved in just getting it running or troubleshooting errors. Most people like having their games work right away. I'm willing to bet most casual gamers out there don't even know the mod exists. Parents shopping for games for their children certainly weren't going to suddenly not buy Echoes of Wisdom just because a mod exists in some internet niche. Even if someone does play Zelda's ballad, just because they play a mod for Breath of the Wild does not mean they suddenly wouldn't have purchased an official product like Echoes of Wisdom. You can actually enjoy both fan projects and official Zelda products. Official Zelda products are the reason people are fans in the first place. It feels like kind of a condescending view of the fans to treat us as children who need to be convinced and directed. We would have bought Echoes of Wisdom regardless. I doubt a single actual human person thinks the way companies think they do "gee, I'm a life-long Zelda fan who bought all the games, and many pieces of merch, but guess I don't need to buy Echoes of Wisdom since this Breath of the Wild mod exists!". No. That isn't how most people behave. This course of action was to curb people who either don't exist, or if they do, are an extremely small minority. Look at how many people are saying they are *still* going to buy Echoes of Wisdom despite it having an artstyle or mechanic they don't like. All they have achieved with this, is annoying fans like me to the point I'm not sure if I even want to give them money after treating fans like this. Yet I know if people like me don't buy the game, then their corporate paranoia was justified and they might never make another Playable Princess Zelda game again.....
I grew up watching my dad play Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Some of my best memories with my dad are helping him solve puzzles in different Zelda games. I'm hoping to continue the tradition with my own kids
Loved your guys' takes. Prof... you may lose all the bets but when it comes to your payment getting declined over the PS Portal. I think you won. I've had my Steam Deck since July '22. Love the thing. Screen definitely was one of my gripes due to the lack of color. Vibrantdeck helped a lot but having a screen that supports more than just oversaturation will be quite the eye candy. I'll be ordering on Thursday 10am PST. Hope to see your podcast update when you get yours! <3
Gosh! Sorry for the late reply! Yes--I lost the bet. The OLED is amazing--and I do not have a Portal. I am glad my payment was declined! :-) Gave you a shout out at the end of Episode 424 (posts tomorrow); thanks for the patience in us actually replying back.
Overall, I went in with super tempered expectations, so I was adequately "whelmed." 7/10. Felt right for how Nintendo hyped it. I thought, honestly, the Japanese Direct had a few more games I was interested in (Sakuna, specifically). How about you?
If the speedrun-bug caught you when watching this GDQ, you should hit me up. I speedrun a bit and am well versed in the community, and would be willing to answer any questions you guys have.
Here's two more talks from lates GDC with steam numbers and trends. www.gdcvault.com/play/1024974/Know-Your-Market-Making-Indie www.gdcvault.com/play/1024976/Let-s-Be-Realistic-A P.S. R.I.P. Steam spy.
