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Nintendo Ending Online Services For Wii And DS In May
Nintendo has announced that it will be ending the online services for all DS and Wii games on May 20. This will affect online play, matchmaking, and leaderboards. Services that do not require an internet connection will be unaffected.
The list of titles is heavy on the Pokémon and Professor Layton, but also includes Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Mario Kart DS, Star Fox Command, Animal Crossing: City Life, Endless Ocean, and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
For the Layton titles, this means that you will no longer be able to access the puzzles delivered via Nintendo’s network. This will also cut off players from the Wii channel services related to Mario Kart. For the complete list, visit Nintendo’s notification page.
[Source: Nintendo via Joystiq]
Our Take
This is a normal part of business, but it’s a shame that the sunsetting is so sweeping. In many ways, this is similar to when Microsoft ended Xbox Live services for the original Xbox. You’ll likely see players hanging on until the very end when the switch is flipped on May 20.
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