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Nintendo Removes Pokémon Bank From Japanese eShop Due To Server Strain
United States and European gamers aren’t due to get access to the new Pokémon Bank application until December 27, but the program was rolled out in Japan yesterday. It has since been removed from the eShop, and Nintendo has issued a statement on the matter.
The notice (translated via Google) indicates that Nintendo has removed the Pokémon Bank to ease access to the company’s online services. Demand and use of the Pokémon Bank have been identified to be at the cause of the ongoing eShop service problems experienced by users across Nintendo’s platforms. With over 4 million copies of Pokémon X and Y sold in just the first two days, the demand (even in just that one territory) is high.
Nintendo has not schedule a date for the application to return to the eShop, and it’s not clear yet if this impacts the scheduled December 27 release in the United States and Europe (the official Pokémon Bank webpage still lists December 27). Nintendo does assure that the free 30-day trial of the software will restart when the application does become available again. We’ve reached out to Nintendo of America for comment.
Note: We originally listed the scheduled release date of the Pokémon Bank as December 31. The correct date was December 27. Game Informer apologizes for the error.
[Source: Nintendo]
Our Take
If the not-quite-resolved online service problems from yesterday teach us anything, it’s that platform holders aren’t always ready to give away free stuff. Left 4 Dead 2 broke Steam, and the free Pokébank trial crippled Nintendo’s eShop.
We’ve heard from a number of disappointed readers who picked up 3DS bundles with packed in games. Unfortunately, those titles are typically download codes and not physical copies. This left new owners unable to redeem part of their purchase, and the problem is ongoing even now.
Gamers love free stuff, and we love companies for doling out goodies. Maybe next time though, do it on a day that isn’t a major gift-giving holiday around the world.
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