'Don't be mad at Valve,' insists creator of the canceled Portal 64 demake

Portal 64 custom Nintendo 64 box and cartridge
(Image credit: James Lambert)

The creator of the Portal 64 demake has urged fans not to direct their anger at Valve amidst the project's cancellation.

Portal 64 was a Nintendo 64-style demake of Valve's groundbreaking 2007 puzzler - Portal. Its developer, James Lambert, had intended the demake to run on real Nintendo 64 hardware before Valve pulled the plug on the project for good by issuing a cease-and-desist order. As PC Gamer reports, Portal 64 "depends on Nintendo's proprietary libraries," hence the stricter approach, here.

In the wake of Portal 64's cancellation, Lambert published a video to his YouTube channel explaining the situation. While news of the project's cancellation is disappointing, Lambert stresses that he doesn't think any less of Valve for the decision. "Don't be mad at Valve here," he says. "The project was probably doomed to be taken down from the beginning."

Until recently, Valve has been fairly receptive and even supportive of fan-made projects. Famously, Counter-Strike and Day of Defeat both began their lives as Half-Life mods. In Portal 64's case, however, it's quite understandable that Valve wouldn't want to muddy the waters by getting Nintendo's own legal team involved.

Despite pouring over two years of hard work into Portal 64, Lambert seems to be in high spirits, stating he's "pretty happy with how far I got with it." He adds that his plans going forward are to start work on a wholly original title developed "simultaneously for the Nintendo 64 and PC.

"That way[,] it's an interesting project that runs on N64, but I also have a way to easily monetize that and have a wide audience of people who could buy it."

Got a hankering to play some retro titles? Check out our Nintendo Switch Online explainer as well as our best GBA games list which features many titles available to play as part of Nintendo's subscription service.

Rhys Wood
Hardware Editor

Rhys is TRG's Hardware Editor, and has been part of the TechRadar team for more than two years. Particularly passionate about high-quality third-party controllers and headsets, as well as the latest and greatest in fight sticks and VR, Rhys strives to provide easy-to-read, informative coverage on gaming hardware of all kinds. As for the games themselves, Rhys is especially keen on fighting and racing games, as well as soulslikes and RPGs.

Read more
Analogue 3D
You might be in for some disappointment if you pre-ordered the Analogue 3D
an image of the Valve Stream Deck running Cyberpunk 2077
One crafty user proved you can make the Steam Deck more portable by turning it into a brick
Nintendo Switch 2 rumored mouse mode
I don't care what the haters say, the Nintendo Switch 2's rumored mouse mode is by far the most exciting feature coming to the new console
Super Mario Odyssey played on a Nintendo Switch in portable mode
Nintendo's 2024 in review: Even more exclusives but still no Switch 2 to play them on
malware
Valve advises full system reset if you've downloaded this Steam game containing malware
an image of the Valve Stream Deck running Cyberpunk 2077
How to get Epic Games Store Running on Steam Deck
Latest in Consoles & PC
Image of Naoe in AC Shadows
Assassin's Creed Shadows is hands-down one of the most beautiful PC ports I've ever seen
Image of AC Shadows cover art & Steam Deck
It's not perfect, but Assassin's Creed Shadows' performance is impressive - it runs smoothly on the Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally
Steam Deck OLED in limited edition white color
With a single update SteamOS could turbocharge handheld PCs – here's how
Samus Aran leaping through space
Metroid Prime 4 tipped to be at the heart of April's Nintendo Switch 2 deep-dive
Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo Switch 2 expected to have AI upscaling and I can't wait to finally play Tears of the Kingdom with upgraded graphics
Asus ROG Ally using Steam
I think Asus could be the perfect partner for an Xbox handheld – but I have questions
Latest in News
A young woman is working on a laptop in a relaxed office space.
I’ll admit, Microsoft’s new Windows 11 update surprised me with its usefulness, providing accessibility fixes, a gamepad keyboard layout, and PC spec cards
inZOI promotional material.
inZOI has become the most wishlisted game on Steam, but I wouldn't get too caught up in the hype
Xbox Series X and Xbox wireless controller set to a green background
Xbox Insiders are currently testing a new Game Hub feature that looks useful, but I've got mixed feelings about it
A stylized depiction of a padlocked WiFi symbol sitting in the centre of an interlocking vault.
Broadcom warns of worrying security flaws affecting VMware tools
Nespresso Vertuo Pop machine in Candy Pink with coffee drinks and capsules
My favorite Nespresso coffee maker just got a fresh new makeover, and now I love it even more
Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices on a table.
Hate Windows 11’s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC