The short version
As of late morning on November 13, Eastern time.
Hookshot's GitHub page and its developer's whole account disappeared on the morning of November 13. Both now show GitHub's page not found screen.
The developer says he didn't do it. At 7:40 that morning he told his Discord that his GitHub account "just randomly got nuked" and that Hookshot should be back up in a different place within a few hours. Staff on the server later said about a day.
He didn't give a reason. GitHub posts the takedown notices it receives, and none of them named Hookshot when we checked.
Our Hookshot setup guide is still up, but its download links point at the page that's gone.
- Don't download Hookshot from anywhere else. The developer had already warned about fake downloads before this happened.
- The copies of its code on GitHub belong to other people. They hold the code and not Hookshot's installer.
- When Hookshot has a new home, this page and the setup guide get the new links.
How it went
Times are Eastern.
- Nov 11WednesdayWe covered HookshotIts GitHub page had more than 7,000 stars that day.
- Nov 136:55 AMStill upOur own star count check read the page with 9,146 stars.
- Nov 13Around 7 AMGoneThe page and the developer's account both returned page not found.
- Nov 137:40 AMThe developer speaksHe tells his Discord the account was removed, that he's still working on Hookshot, and that it will be back up somewhere new.
What still works
Checked on November 13.
NX2navi
A different project that does the same thing, building the remake into a native Windows game from your own copy. It has more than 3,700 stars and goes up to 240 FPS. It's free and its code is public to read, but its license says its additions are all rights reserved, so it isn't open source and can't be copied the way Hookshot was.
NX2navi on GitHubHeyListen
A copy of Hookshot's code that kept going, updated the morning of November 13. Its developer measured Hyrule Field going from 49.1 to 85.5 frames a second on an RTX 5070. Its installer still downloads four of its eight files from Hookshot's deleted page, so new installs fail until those files are moved.
HeyListen on GitHubMore than 800 copies
Hookshot is open source, so people had already copied its code before it went down, and GitHub still shows more than 800 of those copies. They keep the code alive. They don't replace the official download.
Questions
What people are asking.
Did Nintendo take it down?
Not known. The developer says his account was removed and gave no reason. No takedown notice naming Hookshot was public when we checked.
Is Hookshot finished?
No. The developer says he's still working on it and his other projects, and that it will be back up in a different place.
Should I switch to NX2navi?
Your call. It's the one that installs today. If you want the open source one, waiting for Hookshot's new home is the other choice.
Where's the setup guide?
Still up. Our Hookshot guide has a note at the top and will get the new links.
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