Nintendo Fans React To Planned Shut Down Of Online Play In 2024!

Fans are losing it and making alternative plans following Nintendo's announcement of the discontinuation of online services for two of its consoles in "early April 2024."

Additionally, Nintendo's Badge Arcade, which allowed users to decorate their Nintendo 3DS home menu, will also be phased out. No official dates for the stoppage have been announced yet.

Nintendo has confirmed that it will cease online services for the 3DS and Wii U consoles, which will include the cessation of multiplayer features, internet rankings, online cooperative play, and data distribution. While the exact date of the phaseout is yet to be shared with the public, the multinational video game company has indicated that services might even be discontinued "earlier than planned." 

In its statement, the franchise noted that it'll keep running its Pokémon Bank cloud storage service, although there's a possibility it may also end in the future. Additionally, users will retain the ability to redownload previously purchased games and receive patches "for the foreseeable future," as detailed in a FAQ.

It's worth mentioning that Nintendo temporarily halted online play for the Wii U versions of Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon in March 2023 due to security concerns, eventually reinstating online services in August.

In response to the news shared via X, one person claimed, "This is so upsetting," and another agreeably penned, "This is actually heartbreaking, especially because it's before the 9th anniversary of Splatoon 1. I know they closed down the eShops so it was inevitable but why this soon? It's a terrible day for rain...."

A third X user expressed, "Nintendo fans when Nintendo ends an online service for a console that no one owns or plays online with anymore 10 years after it came out," alongside a gif of a crying toddler.

"Why does the Wii U have better online than the Switch. Why don't you fix your servers before closing down there?," another gamer queried, prompting a reply from a fifth person that read, "The Wii U doesn't have better online then [sic] the Switch it was just free."

A sixth cybernaut rhetorically asked, "Earliest April Fools joke of my life?" as a seventh declared, "i hate you," and an eighth exclaimed, "Thank god pokemon bank is still going to be useable!"

"my hope for the switch 2 is some sort of control scheme that accommodates the DS/3DS/Wii U because as it stands those truly will be consoles lost to time without any other accurate alternatives," yet another distraught gamer detailed.

As fans may already know, Nintendo is working hard on its next-Gen Switch 2 console amid the impending seventh anniversary of the Nintendo Switch. So far, the Japanese outlet has remained tight-lipped about any details of the upcoming console, although it's been reported that it would have the capability to be used in portable mode, much like its predecessor. 

Similarly, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa's recent statements strongly indicate the possibility of the successor console being released in the company's next fiscal year, spanning from April 2024 to March 2025. Per Polygon, Furukawa has also reemphasized that Nintendo would maintain its focus on the Switch until the end of the current fiscal year in March 2024. 

Notably, he also revealed that Nintendo plans to continue supporting the Switch with new games throughout the following fiscal year, extending until March 2025. 

When Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood officially opened its doors earlier this year, it was commemorated with a grand opening event attended by fans, superstar VIPs, and the media. The significant ceremony was also attended by one very excited Nintendo fan in the form of actress Brie Larson. 

The joyous "Captain Marvel" star shared pictures and videos of her visit to Super Nintendo World, which apparently was on Nintendo's dime. In one of her updates, posted to Instagram, the 34-year-old is seen dressed in a 'Super Mario Bros' hoodie while dancing in line behind Mario's fraternal twin brother and sidekick, Luigi.

However, it turned out that the actress was on the erring side as a Universal Studios staff member approached her and said something inaudible in the video, possibly asking her not to go beyond that point. Instead of any celebrity tantrums, Larson promptly stopped and assured the staff that she would not go any further.

She then turned toward the camera to enthusiastically tell viewers, "I danced with Mario and Luigi!" She penned in the caption, "Dancing to the castle to find Princess Peach, Super Nintendo World is EVERYTHING I hoped living in the Mushroom Kingdom would be like!"