• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
Gameranx

Gameranx

Video Game News, Lists & Guides

  • News
  • Features
  • Platforms
    • Xbox Series X
    • PS5
    • Nintendo
  • Videos
  • Upcoming Games
  • Guides

Scammers Pretend to represent Disney, Shut Down Fan Game

January 30, 2012 by Mat Growcott

If over the next few days you hear about how Disney are evil for shutting down fan games in which Mickey Mouse is beheaded, it’s not true.

There are games in Japan that are the interactive equivelent of fan fiction. They're released as non-profit by people unlikely to ever become professional developers and, as a result, professional developers tend to look the other way when these games get released onto the internet.

So when the developer of interactive novel Hanako created a mini-game in which you had to fight Mickey Mouse , he didn't expect to be sent an email from Disney demanding $78,000 in damages. He immediately shut the project down, closed the website and apologised to his fans:

"Thank you very much for playing Visual Novel "Hanako"

"Due to a major and intricate reasons, we were unavoidably close our site and stop the development of our game.

"From today, year 2012 January 26, We're closing "Hanako Official Site" for indefinite period.

"We appreciate the players whom supported us. Thank you very much."

Turns out that Disney knew nothing about the game and certainly wasn't planning to sue the developer for any amount of money. It was all a joke pulled by scammers. Despite that, the developer has obviously learnt a lesson and has chosen not to continue development on Hanako at this point. 

Share this post:

FacebookTwitterLinkedInPinterest
Category: Updates

Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Mega Garchomp Z Arrives To Pokemon Legends ZA Mega Dimension
  • Pokemon Winds & Waves Announced Exclusively For Switch 2, Releasing In 2027
  • HighGuard Developer Wildlight Chose To Keep The Game Secret By Themselves – A Costly Mistake
  • Borderlands 4 Made A Pearlescent A Guaranteed Drop In Today’s Update, Breaking Their Own Rules
  • Rockstar Joins The Kei Car Cult By Adding The Shitzu Keitora To GTA Online

Copyright © 2026 · Gameranx · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme