Summary
- Nintendo cautions Wii U users against using unauthorized services to replace online features.
- The publisher requested these services be avoided because of potential “unexpected security risks.”
- Despite the shutdown of Wii U services, dedicated fans seek to continue playing online, while expressing interest in past features for the upcoming console.
The Japanese branch of Nintendo has issued a public statement directed at Wii U users, requesting players be wary of using unauthorized services to replace online functions. After online services for Nintendo‘s Wii U and 3DS were taken offline, fan-made networks like ‘Pretendo’ appeared to mimic the removed online features, so much so that users were eventually able to use these unofficial services without hacking their systems.
The Wii U was first released in 2012 as a successor to the 2006 console, and it exists as an eighth-generation Nintendo system. Noted for being the first Nintendo hardware to support HD graphics, the console also came with a Wii U GamePad that could be used as the main display or to assist in gameplay. The Nintendo community has recently been alight with excitement while anticipating the reveal of the publisher’s successor console, and a reliable leaker has seemingly pinpointed a date for the Switch 2’s announcement.
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Posted by Nintendo’s Japanese Twitter account, a request was shared with the community addressing the existence of “unauthorized services.” A rough translation of the post explained Nintendo was aware that these services were designed to replace functions previously removed for Wii U users, including online play, but the publisher marked them as unsafe. Therefore, Nintendo requested Wii U users avoid using these services because they “may pose unexpected security risks.” Online services for the Wii U and 3Ds shut down last year, including functionality for online play and communication, and this occurred as a natural end to the console’s life cycle.
Nintendo Requests Wii U Users Avoid Risky Unauthorized Services to Replace Online Features
Despite the termination of the console’s services, four Wii U players were spotted online 40 days after the servers shut down, with one user determined to stay on Splatoon despite receiving error codes. Responding in jest to Nintendo’s request, Wii U users stated they were not scared by the security risk and would continue playing Splatoon. Others had a request for Nintendo themselves, asking for the Wii U successor to be made.
The hype surrounding the Switch successor is at an all-time high, and gamers have had plenty of time to make their wish list for new console features. Some Nintendo players want the Switch 2 to bring back the popular Wii U and 3DS feature Miiverse, which was a social aspect used on both consoles. Miiverse allowed users to make unique avatars of themselves and exchange notes with friends, and the community hopes the next console will have similar social mechanics.
Nintendo
Nintendo is a Japanese video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. While producing highly popular hardware consoles like the Switch, the company is known for its many first party video game franchises like Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, and many more.