That Portal 64 demake we liked so much has been kiboshed by Valve: 'They have asked me to take the project down,' creator says

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: James Lambert)

Two portals shown in the Portal N64 demake.

Lambert has been working on the Nintendo 64 version of Portal since at least early 2022, when he posted avideoof the first “graphics test on real Nintendo 64 hardware.” He also warned, however, that if he decided to move forward with the project, “I would pretty much have to rebuild the entire game from scratch.”

And then he went ahead and did just that, to impressive effect: ThisisPortal on the Nintendo 64, which frankly I would not have thought possible before seeing it with my own eyes. Lambert’s work earned him acclaim from the Nintendo 64 fanbase, including our own Rich Stanton, who said that Portal 64 is “the most impressive homebrew game [he’s] ever seen.”

Unfortunately, releasing a playable build of the project appears to have crossed some sort of line. “So I have been in communication with Valve about the future of the project,” Lambert wrote on his Patreon. “There is some news and it isn’t good. Because the project depends on Nintendo’s proprietary libraries, they have asked me to take the project down.”

In an email sent to PC Gamer, Lambert confirmed the takedown request was legitimate, although the reasoning wasn’t entirely clear. “I think Valve didn’t want to be tied up in a project involving Nintendo IP,” he wrote. “I don’t blame them.

“If I could somehow have a discussion with Nintendo about the possibility [of continuing Portal 64] I would love that. I don’t know what it would take to convince them.”

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

“Nintendo is sending clear notice to Valve that it considers Dolphin to violate the DMCA and should it be released on Steam, Nintendo will likely take further action,” Voyer said at the time. “Given that Valve controls what is available on its store, it made the decision not to wade into any dispute between the Dolphin developers and Nintendo and, instead, followed Nintendo’s preemptive request and took down the Steam page.”

That doesn’t sound entirely unlike Lambert’s situation: Portal 64 wasn’t headed for Steam but it does make use of Valve’s intellectual property, which presumably means there’s at least a possibility Valve could end up sucked into a dispute over it. Even if it’s only tangential involvement, Valve’s lawyers may have just decided that it’s not worth the headache.

YouTubeWatch On

YouTube

“I would consider porting to libdragon if Valve agreed to allowing me to finish before trying to make the jump,” he wrote. “It would be a lot of work and I wouldn’t want to commit to it before knowing if it would actually pay off.” He doesn’t seem to think that’s very likely to happen, though: “They also don’t seem too interested in the project as I can’t meaningfully distribute it on Steam.”

TOPICSNintendoValve

TOPICS

More about puzzleToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Sunday, January 12See more latest►

More about puzzleToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

More about puzzle

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

Wordle answers

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

Today’s Wordle being played on a phone

Today’s Wordle answer for Friday, January 10

LatestToday’s Wordle answer for Sunday, January 12See more latest►

Latest

Today’s Wordle answer for Sunday, January 12

Wordle today being played on a phone

Today’s Wordle answer for Sunday, January 12

See more latest►

Most PopularToday’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in AprilLords of the Fallen publisher embraces fear of the DEI boogeyman, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its gamesEpic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo videoSquare Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fansThe Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcementsPath of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better lootPalestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 NakbaPiranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

Most Popular

Today’s Wordle answer for Saturday, January 11

The Last of Us season 2 trailer is a brief look at a story you should probably just play yourself in April

Lords of the Fallen publisher embraces fear of the DEI boogeyman, says it will not include ‘any social or political agendas’ in its games

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says tech leaders are ‘pretending to be Republicans’ to gain favor with Trump, skirt antitrust laws, and ultimately ‘rip off consumers and crush competitors’

If you’re trying to convince me your ‘companionship’ robot is ‘lifelike’, maybe don’t rip her face off in the demo video

Square Enix launches new anti-harassment policy to protect its employees and partners from abusive fans

The Sims begins its 25th anniversary celebration next week with a Behind The Sims episode of news and announcements

Path of Exile 2 numberlord spends 16 straight days killing rare monsters to prove that a stat that makes loot better makes better loot

Palestinian developer raises more than $200,000 to make Dreams on a Pillow, a game about the horrors of the 1948 Nakba

Piranha Games will lay off employees after Mechwarrior 5: Clans ‘performed below projections’

Marvel Rivals’ latest update quietly killed the game’s burgeoning mod scene

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review4Ikea Utespelare desk review5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

HARDWARE BUYING GUIDESLATEST GAME REVIEWS

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

A bunch of the best Steam Deck accessories on a blue background.

1Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads

2Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

Best graphics card for laptops: the mobile GPUs I’d want in my next gaming laptop

3Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most

4Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

Best 14-inch gaming laptop: The top compact gaming laptops I’ve held in these hands

5Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I’ve tested

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here review

1Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

Thank Goodness You’re Here! review

2Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island review

3WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

WD Black SN850X 8 TB NVMe SSD review

4Ikea Utespelare desk review

Ikea Utespelare desk review

5Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

Asus ROG Harpe Ace Mini wireless mouse review

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals