Pokemon fan forum Relic Castle vanishes abruptly due to DMCA notice, community left in disarray

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Relic Castle, a vibrant hub for Pokemon fan game enthusiasts, has vanished from the internet without any prior notice. The closure stems from a DMCA takedown, leaving the community stunned and disheartened. Established in 2014, Relic Castle served as an online forum where fans congregated to discuss and share Pokemon fan games. It acted as a central nexus for enthusiasts to exchange links to download these games from external platforms like Mediafire and Google Drive. However, the forum's sudden disappearance has left a void in the community.

Announced via X on March 21, the shutdown announcement attributed the closure to a DMCA takedown notice, although the sender remains undisclosed. The staff expressed deep regret over the end of the forum, highlighting its decade-long tenure as a non-profit, ad-free, and tightly knit community, Kotaku reported.

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With over 20,000 members and 65,000 posts, Relic Castle was a significant platform for Pokemon enthusiasts. Despite the closure, the Discord server remains active, offering some solace to the disheartened community. Additionally, the staff recommended the Wayback Machine as an alternative resource for accessing archived content.

In a heartfelt message shared on social media, site owner Marin and manager Andy expressed gratitude to the community for their support over the past decade. The message now resides on a mostly blank page that has replaced Relic Castle.

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The abrupt shutdown of Relic Castle adds to the ongoing challenges faced by Pokemon modders and fan content creators. Recent events, including the removal of a seven-year-old YouTube video featuring modded Pokemon in Call of Duty, signal a broader crackdown on fan-created content. The community speculates that heightened scrutiny from The Pokemon Company and Nintendo, influenced