![Nintendo 3DS](https://images.nintendolife.com/9d90ac539fee6/nintendo-3ds.900x.jpg)
Last month saw Nintendo finally shut down the online servers for the Wii U and 3DS' Nintendo Network. It was a sad day, for sure, but there have been a brave few who, in the month since, have kept the dream alive (thanks, GamesRadar).
Yes, a certain group slipped through the cracks of Nintendo's shutdown and has been able to remain online for the ensuing days and weeks. Two players, @fishguy6564 and @marioiscool246 (to use their Twitter handles), have been running the final Mario Kart 7 lobby for the past month, programming two bots to race each other endlessly. Well, it was 'endlessly'.
In a dramatic twist usually reserved for episode four of a six-part Netflix drama, @marioiscool246's 3DS froze while speeding around the Luigi's Mansion circuit. After 13,151 races, only @fishguy6564 remains on the Mario Kart 7 servers — albeit trapped in the lobby with nobody to play against.
In total, this means that there are only four known players left on the Nintendo Network as a whole. At least, that's according to @GaffsNotLaffs who has been keeping track of those remaining via the 'Nintendo Network After Hours' Discord server. While fishguy6564 is the last in the 3DS driver's seat, the Wii U servers still have one active player in Super Mario Maker, Splatoon and Xenoblade Chronicles X respectively.
We're hoping that the remaining 'Elite Four' can hold on as long as possible, honestly, though they are dropping fast. Last week, Eeveh-roo-deh (イーヴェルーデ) disconnected from the Xenoblade Chronicles X server while a player by the name of Amanda finally dropped out of the Pokémon X & Y servers, sounding the death knell for Gen VI's online connectivity.
We'll be keeping an eye on those that remain to see just how long the servers can be kept alive.
What do you make of the remaining few keeping the Nintendo Network memory alive? Let us know in the comments.
[source twitter.com, via twitter.com, gamesradar.com]
Comments 30
That is because once connected you don't really use Nintendo's servers anymore. Most is done P2P.
It's hard to see these people as making a heroic last stand when the Pretendo Network already exists. Stop chasing cheap internet cred and start playing Wii U and 3DS games online again
May The Great Deku Tree bestow them with a hero's blessing. Nutters.
Vive la résistance!
Removed - flaming/arguing
@Nintentoad125 What's wrong with a little perspective? The above people are like contestants in a 'keep touching the car challenge' for which there is no reward. What's to be applauded about keeping your console on all day and night whilst you sit in a lobby for a race that's never going to happen?
Better to realise it's a fruitless endeavour, move on, and engage in a more enjoyable gaming activity or otherwise.
They’re truly reincarnating the Xbox Live shutdown spirit with this one
Stickin' it to the man ✊
I hope the people will reach their goals and stay online as much as they want. Elite four is a cool name.
This reminds me of an anime. In the anime an online game is about to shut down and the protagonist tries to stay until the very end, only to then realise, that the online game became real after the shutdown.
Came here for the first post. They're not somehow keeping an offline server online against big bad emulation hating Nintendo's will. It's a fun novelty but cool your jets, performers.
I wonder if the big three expect this when they shut servers down.
@Folkloner Bold of a video game fan to tell people that the fun they're having is a 'fruitless endeavour'
@Jhena That's Overlord.
@Kuruwin
Yep, thanks for reminding me of the title.
Does this mean I can't play Xenoblade X or?...
@Vordus Bold of you to categorise sitting in an empty lobby for weeks on end as fun
@Folkloner Sometimes the curiosity of one’s personal capabilities is enough to create the fun they need.
@Folkloner Man, just let the people do their silly thing. It doesn't affect you in any way and they're obviously finding it fun or they wouldn't keep posting about it.
@Folkloner After all the hate your getting I hardly dare say this, but I totally agree with you, arrggghh!!!!
Removed - flaming/arguing
@sanderev
"P2P"?
... this is really a thing? The last one standing on a shutdown server..?
theres something funny about mario kart 7 lobby purgatory. godspeed to all 4 of them
@Mario500 Peer 2 Peer, meaning you connect directly to the other user's system instead to the server. The server basically only does matchmaking (choosing which clients to connect)
On Switch some games are actually server based. For example Super Mario Maker 2 and Tetris 99.
I don’t necessarily care for it either way (I’m swaying more towards ‘this is utterly meaningless’), but some of the comments are pretty unacceptable for having an opinion on something.
I still don’t really get the point of doing this but hey, it’s still fun to follow
If nothing else this keeps in the news how connection in these games was 99.9% not burdening Nintendo. And these gamers will hold a record for some time, or until the next major game matchmaking service gets shut down for no reason. They passed the people who stayed in that Halo lobby for weeks, which itself has become a sort of folklore.
They may be doing it for their own sentimental reasons, but personally I think it's doing a good turn for game preservation. It's incredibly stupid that companies are making these peer to peer games unplayable, and that it's falling on fans to find workarounds.
This is reminiscent of me in GRID Autosport lobby. Where is everyone?
Lcd101 is officially the greatest squidkid in existence!
Such a weird WR to hold but man I am oddly invested in these people now.
LCD101 is a cool person and it's wild that he's still on Sploon1 of all things, it's been just over a month and he's still going strong in the game! I've even communicated with him back-and-forth in absolute astonishment, haha.
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