You won’t believe it, but the inevitable finally occurred! After 209 days since November 3rd, the lone holdout on Nintendo’s discontinued servers for the Wii U and 3DS, known as Fishguy6564, was finally disconnected. His steadfast Nintendo 3DS gave up the ghost following nearly eight months of uninterrupted Mario Kart 7 sessions. Though this chapter has closed, hope isn’t entirely lost.
For those clinging to these beloved yet unsupported pieces of hardware, there’s a silver lining. Custom firmware can open up a world of Homebrew software and even Pretendo—a fan-made network service offering a lifeline to Nintendo Network servers for shuttered Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games. It’s true that Pretendo’s game lineup isn’t exhaustive, but it plays a crucial role in preserving these consoles’ legacies.
Earlier, before Fishguy6564’s console finally succumbed, it was cleverly modified to sustain a bot-populated lobby. This workaround allowed the game to sidestep the service’s official end and keep running indefinitely. Speaking to GamesRadar during this impressive marathon, Fishguy6564 expressed disbelief, saying, “I didn’t expect to make it past the official shutdown. After that, it was all about seeing how long we could stretch it.”
Sadly, a limit was eventually hit. But Pretendo servers still provide a glimpse of light, allowing owners of modded original hardware to indulge in some of their cherished games. For the Nintendo 3DS, the options include Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Mario Maker 3DS. Pretendo covers Wii U favorites too, such as Mario Kart 8, Mario Maker, Splatoon, and Pokkén Tournament. Depending on the game, Pretendo restores either basic online functionality or more intricate server features.
In a bittersweet twist, many eShop exclusives for the 3DS and Wii U are no longer accessible except through unofficial channels. While none had the mass appeal to drive console sales, their absence leaves a hole in gaming’s digital history. This highlights a harsh reality of our post-online era: the permanent loss of official game servers means the responsibility for preserving gaming history falls to dedicated enthusiasts, hackers, and inevitably, pirates.
