The Great Giana Sisters - Legal Issues With Nintendo

Legal Issues With Nintendo

The immediate similarity to the Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. made sure Great Giana Sisters was quickly noticed by both the public and the video game industry itself. Giana Sisters first level for example is almost a complete 1:1 copy of the first stage found in Super Mario Bros., in addition to almost an identical style of gameplay. A common (but false) rumour claims that Nintendo took Rainbow Arts and Time Warp to court and blocked the game from being sold. However, Nintendo did not initiate any legal proceedings against either company, choosing rather to pressure them with warning of legal action should they not take appropriate reaction themselves.

Soon after release, copies for the Atari ST and Amiga were taken off the store shelves. This caused the game to become an immediate and rare collector's item.

The alleged dispute with Nintendo became known worldwide through game magazines and word to mouth. It achieved a cult status and following. Despite being taken off the market shortly after its official release, it became widely available through piracy and black market copies. As of 2011, original copies of the game have been sold for €100 to €250, depending on the state of the game and its packaging as well as system version. The Commodore 64 version was made available for a longer period of time than the Amiga version, resulting it being the least rare, though still fetching high prices once taken off the market.

A ZX Spectrum version was planned and even reviewed by gaming magazines prior to its planned released, but was cancelled due to the legal pressures the game suffered.