Experimental sandbox Garry's Mod has entered the crosshairs of Nintendo's legal team after 20 years.

Developer Facepunch Studios revealed that Nintendo has issued takedown notices, prompting the removal of Nintendo-related content from the Steam Workshop.

Currently, searches for terms like 'Mario' and 'Zelda' generate various user-created Garry's Mod add-ons, including character models and level cosmetics.

While it's not unusual for Nintendo to protect its intellectual properties in this manner, the timing of these takedowns is significant given the long history of Garry's Mod content creation.

Facepunch Studios now faces the daunting task of reviewing two decades' worth of uploads to comply with Nintendo's requests, and they are seeking assistance from players to expedite the process.

'Some of you may have noticed that certain Nintendo-related workshop items have recently been taken down. This is not a mistake, the takedowns came from Nintendo,' Facepunch stated in a Steam update.

'Honestly, this is fair enough. This is Nintendo's content, and they have the right to dictate its use within Garry's Mod. We must respect their decision and remove as much as possible.'

20 years of Nintendo-themed content in Garry's Mod

'This is an ongoing process, as we have 20 years of uploads to review. If you could assist us by deleting any Nintendo-related uploads and refraining from uploading such content in the future, it would greatly aid our efforts.'

A note on the Garry's Mod Steam page highlights the availability of over 300,000 models, maps, and contraptions via Steam Workshop, suggesting that the removal of Nintendo content may take some time.

Over the years, Nintendo has taken legal actions against numerous fan projects, emulator platforms like Dolphin and Yuzu, and ROM sites such as RomUniverse, LoveROMS, and LoveRetro. Now, Garry's Mod joins the list of targeted entities.