Sony pulls Super Mario from Dreams after Nintendo complaint

Nightmare.

News by Wesley Yin-Poole Former Editor-in-Chief

Updated on March 21, 2020

Sony has pulled a popular Super Mario character model from PlayStation 4 game Dreams after a complaint from Nintendo.

As spotted by GoNintendo, Dreams creator PieceOfCraft took to Twitter to reveal "Mario projects in Dreams are on hold" after their Super Mario, used by many user-generated Super Mario levels, was pulled offline.

Good news and bad news
We flew too close to the sun boys! A big video game company who i will keep nameless obviously didn't read my "be cool" note in dreams
no worries though have a back up plan. But for now Mario projects in dreams are on hold until i put said plan into effect pic.twitter.com/ifGDM0jFZ3
— PieceofCraft (@Piece_of_Craft) March 20, 2020

PieceOfCraft went on to say they received an email from Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe that stated Nintendo had objected to their use of the Super Mario intellectual property in Dreams.

The email came through to the same email i have linked to my psn but it was from the legal and business affairs Division of Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe
so not from Mm.
And stated Nintendo, themselves, had objected to my use of their Super Mario IP in Dreams
— PieceofCraft (@Piece_of_Craft) March 21, 2020

PieceOfCraft said they can no longer edit the original creation, which is flagged as removed because it contains copyrighted material, and other Dreams players will not be able to find or use it. "It's kinda like a slap on the wrist," they said.

well i can and i cant.
i can remix it but the original i can no longer edit and other will not find or be able to use. not too sure what will happen to levels that used the mario guess we'll have to wait and see
its kinda like a slap on the wrist.
— PieceofCraft (@Piece_of_Craft) March 21, 2020

Nintendo's action doesn't come as a huge surprise, given the company's record when it comes to taking down unofficial Nintendo IP-related content. But it highlights an issue Dreams inevitably runs up against: the game is packed with content from non-Sony intellectual property, from rival video games to movies to cartoon characters. Sony's moderators will be busy, then.

At the time of publication, Dreams creations that use PieceOfCraft's Super Mario remain online. Super Mario 64 HD, by Dreams player Yoru Tamashi, for example, is alive and kicking with 11,394 plays. Super Mario Infinity [Demo], by SilverDragon-x-, is also up with 72,549 plays.

As for PieceOfCraft, it sounds like they have a plan B of some kind.