It finally happened! After 209 days, by November 3, the last holdout on Nintendo’s old Nintendo Network servers for the Wii U and 3DS, known as Fishguy6564, was abruptly disconnected. His Nintendo 3DS crashed after almost eight months of constant Mario Kart 7 gameplay. The era has come to an end—though, in some ways, not entirely.
For those clinging to their old-school hardware with its unique game library, there’s a silver lining. Custom firmware opens the door to Homebrew and Pretendo. Pretendo is a fan-driven service that effectively resurrects Nintendo Network servers for 3DS and Wii U games that would otherwise be left in the past. While the selection of games supported by Pretendo might be limited, it plays a crucial role in keeping these recent consoles’ histories alive and playable.
Before Fishguy6564’s epic 3DS saga came to its unexpected conclusion, a setup was in place that allowed his system to continually queue up a lobby filled with bots, circumventing the official shutdown. In a chat with GamesRadar earlier in this endeavor, he reflected, “I didn’t think we’d outlast the official shutdown. From then on, it turned into a challenge to see how long we could keep this going.”
Ultimately, a breaking point was reached. Thankfully, Pretendo servers continue to offer a lifeline for owners of modded original hardware who want to enjoy some of their cherished titles. For the Nintendo 3DS, this includes games such as Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Mario Maker 3DS. On the Wii U, fans can indulge in Mario Kart 8, Mario Maker, Splatoon, and Pokkén Tournament. Pretendo can restore fundamental online features or even provide more complex server interactions, depending on the game.
Sadly, many classic eShop-exclusive titles for the 3DS and Wii U are no longer accessible through legitimate platforms unless previously installed. While none of these were regarded as console cornerstones, it’s unfortunate they’ve essentially slipped into history. This reality underscores the major downside of the offline era: the permanent disappearance of official game servers and availability, which now rely on the dedication of preservationists, modders, and, sometimes, pirates.
