Romhacking.net explained

Romhacking.net (also referred to as RHDN) was a website that maintained an extensive collection of video game modifications known as ROM hacks for 20 years.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

A major source for ROM hacks and fan-made translations of retro games, Romhacking.net often received mentions by publications associated to the hobby. For example, Hardcore Gaming 101, a respected retrogaming online magazine,^{[5] [6] [7]} promoted the fan-made translation of Ihatovo Monogatari published on Romhacking.net.^[8], Nintendo Life promoted the English translation of .^[9], and Motherboard by Vice promoted the Hebrew translation of Sonic the Hedgehog.^[10]

History

In 2019, Kotaku reported that the community saw a controversy over an LGBT Pokémon hack.^[11]

In 2020, Ars Technica pointed its readers to Romhacking.net in an investigate article about the origins of the NES port of Pac-Man Championship Edition.^[12]

In 2023, the site planned to stop accepting new homebrew games, but the decision was reverted.^[13]

It archived its database on the Internet Archive on August 1, 2024 due to management issues.^{[14] [15] [16]}

External links

• • Archived Romhacking.net database on Archive.org

Notes and References

1. News: Catherine Lewis . 20-year-old romhack site that was a treasure trove of Pokemon fan games and JRPG translations winds down after achieving "almost everything it set out to do" . 2 August 2024 . gamesradar . 2 August 2024 . en.
2. Web site: McWhertor . Michael . The best ROM hack website is shutting down after nearly 20 years . Polygon . 2 August 2024 . 2 August 2024.
3. News: Extension . Time . ROMHacking.net Is Winding Down After Almost 20 Years . 2 August 2024 . Time Extension . 2 August 2024.
4. News: Joshua Wolens . Founder takes down the Nexus Mods of romhacking after 20 years because 'lines were crossed' by 'a most dishonest and hate filled group,' but others tell a different story . 2 August 2024 . PC Gamer . 2 August 2024 . en.
5. Web site: 2010-04-27. Mega Man: A Transmission from Another World. 2021-07-14. The Escapist. en-US. 2021-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20210714231204/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/mega-man-a-transmission-from-another-world/. live.
6. Web site: 2011-12-23. Hardcore Gaming 101 Unveils Top 250 Western Gaming Tunes. 2021-07-14. The Escapist. en-US. 2021-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20210714231203/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/hardcore-gaming-101-unveils-top-250-western-gaming-tunes/. live.
7. Web site: 2007-07-06. History of pre-Street Fighter II pugilism sims; wow, the past really sucked. 2021-07-14. Destructoid. en-CA.
8. Web site: Ihatovo Monogatari . Hardcore Gaming 101 . 3 August 2024.
9. News: Life . Nintendo . Famicom Title "Ganbare Goemon Gaiden: Kieta Ōgon Kiseru" Translated to English . 3 August 2024 . Nintendo Life . 17 June 2017.
10. News: Johnson . Jason . Finally, 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Is Playable in Hebrew . 3 August 2024 . Vice . 16 June 2017 . en.
11. News: ROM Hacking Website Removes Volunteer Staffer Who Took Down LGBT-Friendly Pokémon Hack . 3 August 2024 . Kotaku Australia . 3 May 2019 . en-AU.
12. News: Orland . Kyle . We traced Namco's "new" Pac-Man demake to its source: A 2008 fan ROMhack . Ars Technica . 4 July 2020 . en-us.
13. News: Extension . Time . ROM Hacking Website No Longer Accepting New Homebrew Games . 3 August 2024 . Time Extension . 14 November 2023.
14. News: Lada . Jenni . ROMhacking.net Site Closing Down . 2 August 2024 . Siliconera . 2 August 2024.
15. News: Gault . Matthew . A 20-Year-Old Rom Site Is Shutting Down and Moving to the Internet Archive . 2 August 2024 . Gizmodo . 2 August 2024.
16. News: McNally . Paul . Huge internet emulation website ROMhacking changes to news only and releases entire 11GB of files onto Internet Archive for preservation . 2 August 2024 . ReadWrite . 2 August 2024.