#NO LONGER HOME NINTENDO SOFTWARE#

#NO LONGER HOME NINTENDO SOFTWARE#

A game preservation organization is already calling Nintendo’s actions “actively destructive.” The Electronic Software Association, of which Nintendo is a part, has also lobbied to kill copyright amendments that would allow libraries and museums to preserve and rent digital games.

But it’s often the case that the company also inadvertently encourages piracy by shutting down legal avenues to purchasing games digitally.

Nintendo has a history of going after pirates who sell the means to hack its hardware and those who provide access to ripped game files.

The only conceivable answer is that it’s financially motivated to repackage those products into its new subscription platform, and that it benefits its brand.

Nintendo could very well migrate the 3DS and Wii U digital stores or the Virtual Console catalog to the Switch, but it chooses not to. Nintendo can’t be trusted to preserve its own library. It sold 9 million copies of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and many of its limited-run consoles, toys and collectibles sell out almost immediately. Nintendo is often rewarded financially for its approach, even when its biggest fans complain.Super Mario 3D All-Stars was only available for sale for six months before it was discontinued. The consoles were produced in limited quantities, creating an abundance of demand and driving aftermarket sales and scalping. The NES and SNES classic editions and the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection are perfect examples.The company banks on its core fan bases’ nostalgia for games they played when they were younger to overcome any sticker shock or trepidation over buying something twice or even three times.This strategy succeeds in part because Nintendo makes it difficult to buy digital versions of many of its games from one console generation to the next. The company has a storied track record of repackaging old products into new ones and slapping on high price tags. Nintendo posted, and then removed, an FAQ section in which it answered the question of whether it has an “obligation to preserve its classic games by continually making them available for purchase.” The answer: “We currently have no plans to offer classic content in other ways.”.But it only committed to letting people redownload software they’ve legally purchased “for the foreseeable future.” Nintendo says it will make some of these games available through its Switch Online subscription service, like this week’s inclusion of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.That library includes some games that are impossible to purchase digitally without resorting to illegal emulation. Starting in late March 2023, Nintendo will no longer let people purchase digital games for the 3DS and Wii U, including the more than 530 Virtual Console titles available across both platforms.This model has more or less ended in the Switch era as Nintendo shifts priority to Switch Online subscriptions. The 3DS and Wii U eShops were notable for selling individual classic Nintendo games for one-time fees, letting players own them in perpetuity.

Nintendo is shifting to a subscription model. Though it was inevitable Nintendo would one day close the 3DS and Wii U eShops, the manner in which the company made the announcement highlights its antagonistic relationship to both digital ownership and game preservation. Nintendo last week made an announcement that was both perfectly in line with everything we know about the company and its strategy, and yet somehow still a painful blow to its legions of passionate fans. Nintendo’s ruthless approach to nostalgia

No longer home nintendo