NINTENDO has restored online play for two of its popular online games after addressing a security issue that took them offline almost five months ago.
That’s great news for players, but the company has warned that if further issues occur, it may have to discontinue online play for these titles at short notice.
Nintendo paused online play for Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U back in March 2023 due to urgent maintenance.
The issue was an unspecified security vulnerability which has now been fixed and online play will be back to normal as of tomorrow, August 3, 2023, according to a statement by Nintendo.
To be able to play online again, players will need to download a new update for each of the two games, which will also be released tomorrow, Nintendo explained.
Wii U owners had to wait exactly five months for the issue to be resolved, but at least they will finally be able to enjoy the games online with friends or strangers.
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Nevertheless, fans are getting worried that this could be the last time Nintendo is fixing issues with the aging versions of Splatoon and Mario Kart 8.
In its statement, the company hints that it is becoming hard to continue to maintain the two Wii U games’ online services and that end of support could be near.
“If further issues occur which make it difficult to continue supporting online play, we may have to discontinue the online play service for the Wii U games Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 at short notice, ” the statement reads.
Nintendo also reminds users that even if online play is discontinued, they will still be able to play the games in offline mode.
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Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 are versions of Nintendo’s most popular online game series for the Wii U, which is a 12-year-old console as of now.
Nintendo closed the Wii U eShop on March 27, 2023, which means console owners are no longer able to purchase new digital games for the platform, but can still download what they already own.
The Wii U as a platform has effectively been discontinued following the launch of its successor, the Nintendo Switch.
If Splatoon and Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U experience no major issues, they could easily remain playable online in the future.
Even when online play for these games eventually shuts down for good, players will still have the option to enjoy them offline.
Players can also move on to more recent installments in the series, released for the Switch, but that would of course mean purchasing Nintendo’s latest console.
Mario Kart 8 has an enhanced Deluxe edition available for the Nintendo Switch, which is also the definitive version of the game.
Although the original Splatoon game was never released for the Switch, there have been two sequels that are exclusive to Nintendo’s hybrid system.
Written by Stoyan Ovcharov on behalf of GLHF.
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