Square Enix shuts down Chrono fan game Crimson Echoes

Square Enix dropped a Cease and Desist on a fan made game modification called Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes. Almost complete, this was a new story set in the Chrono Trigger universe, tying Trigger and Cross together. Before the party was crashed by Square Enix, the game had over 35 hours of game play, with ten endings.

Crimson Echoes was set to release on May 31st for free, but Square Enix called off all ROM modification activity with this letter (PDF file). In it they say that "ROM altering and modification is illegal," and that "statutory damages for willful copyright infringement are up to $150,000 per work." 

We hereby request and demand that you immediately remove, take down, delete and destroy all work on CT:CE, as well as all other Square-Enix related ROM hacks currently on your sites.

Some of the wrist slapping extends to popular fansite Chrono Compendium for their research on ROM modification and listing of prior modifications.

Damn, tough break guys. Sorry to hear for your loss on years worth of work. Crimson Echoes (trailer below the jump) looked very interesting.

[Via Ripten]