Portal is undeniably iconic, as is its sequel. Sadly, in true Valve fashion, we have yet to see a third official game come to light. The lack of a new entry in the Portal series isn’t stopping fans from expressing their own creativity with unofficial remakes, sequels, and the like, though. One of the more prominent projects based on Valve’s 2007 classic, Portal 64, is sadly coming to an end and creator James Lambert now reveals why.
That’s right, we could’ve had a Nintendo 64-inspired Portal. Lambert had been working on the pixel-y puzzle game remake for about a year, posting regular video updates of his progress to social media. His most recent upload discusses the first part of the game to leave beta, which he dubbed the ‘first slice’ of Portal 64.
If all went to plan, fans could experience GLaDOS’ hellish tests as though on an almost unimaginable platform. The Nintendo 64. Unfortunately, the solo dev says that this is where the current problem and reason for the game’s sudden end lies. “I have been in communication with Valve about the future of the project,” Lambert writes on his Patreon.
“Because the project depends on Nintendo’s proprietary libraries, they have asked me to take the project down.” Lambert then concludes that fans should “generate the latest ROM before I take the ROM patcher down.” The Portal 64 situation isn’t alone, as the Team Fortress 2 fan remake was similarly just canceled following a DMCA takedown notice from Valve.
Fans seem distraught at the two remakes’ cancellations. On a Twitter thread discussing both fan games and Valve’s actions, people share their disappointment. One fan exclaims, “This is a huge surprise!” Another reply says, “What is happening right now is very unfortunate.” Overall, the comments largely express an understanding of Valve’s stance but also a sense of loss over the two exciting remakes.
While you mourn the loss of the Portal project, you can browse through a few of our other favorite upcoming PC games as there are many others to look forward to in place of the canceled fan remake. Alternatively, you can check out some of the best PC games around if you’re looking for an experience that lives up to the genre-defying, ground-breaking legacy
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