Video game preservation charity accuses Nintendo of being ‘actively destructive’ to game history
The Video Game History Foundation has publicly criticised Nintendo‘s decision to close the Wii U and 3DS eShops next year.
Nintendo announced earlier this week that it will cease digital game purchases on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems in March 2023.
This will result in around 1000 digital-only games, some of which are exclusive to the Wii U and 3DS, being removed for good with no way to acquire them legally in the future.
The game preservation charity posted a statement on Twitter, accusing the company of not taking sufficient steps to ensure that the games it will be delisting are being properly preserved.
“While it is unfortunate that people won’t be able to purchase digital 3DS or Wii U games anymore, we understand the business reality that went into this decision,” the statement reads.
“What we don’t understand is what path Nintendo expects its fans to take, should they wish to play these games in the future.
“As a paying member of the Entertainment Software Association, Nintendo actively funds lobbying that prevents even libraries from being able to provide legal access to these games.
“Not providing commercial access is understandable, but preventing institutional work to preserve these titles on top of that is actively destructive to video game history.
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“We encourage ESA members like Nintendo to rethink their position on this issue and work with existing institutions to find a solution.”
The Foundation’s founder and co-director, Frank Cifaldi, also took to Twitter to suggest that players should hack their Nintendo systems so they can play preserved backups in the future.
Referring to a previous tweet in which he suggested PS3
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