It's been 15 days since the Wii U and 3DS servers were supposed to shut down, but a few courageous players have somehow managed to cling onto whatever bits of life are left in a handful of games for those systems. The last remaining Splatoon player is holding fast even as the servers have started to crumble around them.
"Hold on to your tentacles… for some bad news," Lcd101 writes on Twitter. "As of the (delayed) 2:00 A.M. EST rotation, matchmaking (lobby) has officially gone down in Splatoon. Other online services, including the news and shops, are still functional and I still remain online. I repeat, I am STILL online." Matchmaking, of course, doesn't have much point right now, given that Lcd101 is the only player who's still connected to the Splatoon servers.
The shop and news updates are the two ways to tell if you’re still online. If you’re offline, you can no longer enter the shops. I am still online, but the lobby gives me the error code for maintenance, 106-0811.I intend to stay online in this state for as long as possible. pic.twitter.com/lofx9qAXylApril 23, 2024
Lcd101 notes that the game is displaying the same error code that happened when it was temporarily shut down back in 2023, so I guess we're not in fully uncharted territory here. Either way, Lcd101 says "I intend to stay online in this state for as long as possible."
- After shutting down the Wii U online services last year, Nintendo asks players not to use "unauthorized services" to replace them as they might pose "security risks"
- Wii U online replacement Pretendo says "we are committed to user safety" as Nintendo warns against using third-party alternatives to its dead servers
As of just a few days ago, it was believed that six players were hanging on in the 3DS and Wii U servers. Incredibly, it seems that another holdout has been discovered. As GaffsNotLaffs notes on Twitter, there's one player hanging on in online lobbies for Wii Sports Club, joining the other proud few remaining players in Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart 7, Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, and Pokemon XY.
The best Wii U games are still great even without their online features.
