Guess what? After a staggering 209 days, as of November 3, the era has officially come to a close! The last standing user of Nintendo’s now-defunct Nintendo Network servers for the Wii U and 3DS, known as Fishguy6564, faced the inevitable. His loyal Nintendo 3DS finally crashed, ending an impressive run of nearly two-thirds of a year connected to Mario Kart 7 servers [thanks GamesRadar]. Although this chapter has closed, there’s still a spark of hope for fans.
Die-hard users of these now unsupported devices and their beloved game collections needn’t despair entirely. By unlocking custom system firmware, they can access Homebrew software and Pretendo. This service breathes life back into shuttered Nintendo Network servers, letting fans play a selection of 3DS and Wii U games. Although the Pretendo-supported game list isn’t exhaustive, it’s a crucial step in preserving the spirit and enjoyment of these relatively novel systems.
In a moment of reflection before the crash saw Fishguy6564 off the Mario Kart 7 server, his 3DS had been modified to keep a lobby filled with bots (previously alongside one other player), daringly maintaining activity even after the official shutdown. In an earlier discussion with GamesRadar, he shared, “I never imagined we would outlast the official shutdown. From then on, it became a challenge to see just how long we could keep it alive.”
It seems we’ve now reached the end of that road. But fear not, because Pretendo servers are still up and running, offering modded hardware users a chance to continue enjoying some of their cherished games. On the 3DS front, classics like Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Mario Maker 3DS are playable with Pretendo. Wii U enthusiasts can dive back into Mario Kart 8, Mario Maker, Splatoon, and Pokkén Tournament. Depending on the game, Pretendo can either revive basic online play or even more complex server features.
A bit of a shadow lingers, though, as numerous historic eShop exclusives for the 3DS and Wii U have become unplayable through official channels unless previously installed. While these titles might not have been console sellers, their fading into oblivion is still poignant. This highlights a major downside of our post-offline gaming reality—the permanent loss of official servers and access, leaving the task of game preservation in the hands of dedicated historians, modders, and, yes, pirates.
