Earlier this week, a browser-based remake of the original Legend of Zelda popped up to celebrate the game's 30-year anniversary. As was to be expected, Nintendo has now intervened, and as a result the game is no longer playable.

"Nintendo asked us to remove this site for copyright infringement," a post on the project's website says. "I guess Zelda30Tribute was a little too pixel perfect :-)"

While it didn't consist of the entire game--you could only play the first few dungeons--it did allow for you to play a voxel-based version of Zelda for free right in your browser.

"We're sad about that, but we get it," the message from creators Scott Lininger and Mike Magee continues. "We started this project because we love Nintendo and the joy they have given us throughout the years. From the start of development, we knew this result could potentially happen. Nintendo has every right to protect their IP. No complaints from us, we had a blast working on this tribute and made some friends along the way."

Image credit: BGR

The two plan to share the source code for the project through Github "once [they]'ve had a chance to remove Nintendo-owned assets." They also say they have software projects in the future and offer a few ways to stay in touch with them to find out more when it's announced.

"This was not the greatest game in the world, no," the message concludes. "This was just a tribute. Thank you Nintendo for the inspiration!"

This February marked the 30-year anniversary of the original Legend of Zelda's release for the Famicom in Japan. You can check out our feature on the franchise's legacy for a look back at what the games have meant. Meanwhile, the next Zelda game is an open-world title headed to Wii U.