Microsoft’s Edge extension store is believed to host “illegal copies” of classic games like Mario Kart 64, Super Mario Bros. and several other titles like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac Man and Tetris. Even Microsoft-owned IP Minecraft was not oficially accessible.
According to The Verge, the developers behind these listings were no Microsoft, Nintendo or “any other” related parties. Although the pages were taken down immediately, some user reviews for these game uploads are supposed to date back to October – meaning that these listings have largely gone unnoticed until now.
In addition, the official “Microsoft Edge Dev” Twitter account reportedly went so far as to promote these “vintage” games. Here is an image that was apparently taken before the tweet was deleted, calling all lovers Mario Kart:
An individual daring by the name of @olynative on Twitter he took a chance with the Mario Kart 64 extension and said he downloaded a game ROM.
Some of the listings that are no longer available apparently clarified that they had no affiliation with the game companies that made the titles. Obviously, this still does not resolve.
“IMPORTANT: This emulator is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo. All graphics, games and other multimedia are the property of their respective owners and authors. This game is for ALL Mario fans!”
Again, the action was taken and most of these playlists were removed. We doubt that Nintendo ninjas would be very impressed if they found them. Crisis averted.