This past week Nintendo announced that it would be shutting down the digital storefronts for both the Wii U and the 3DS. The decision is estimated to remove nearly 2,000 games from availability. Nintendo says it could bring some games back as part of its Nintendo Switch Online subscription service, but few believe or expect Nintendo to follow through in a meaningful way. One video game archival foundation has even gone so far as saying Nintendo's behavior is "actively destructive to video game history."The quotation comes from the nonprofit archival organization Video Game History Foundation and what it's describing is more complex than Nintendo simply shutting down the Wii U and 3DS storefronts. While, obviously, that's a major part of the issue, the bigger problem goes beyond that. As Video Game History Foundation describes, Nintendo also "actively funds lobbying that prevents even libraries from being able to provide legal access to these games," due to its support of the controversial Entertainment Software Association.Video Game History Foundation understands, even if it doesn't support, the business realities associated with taking down the 3DS and Wii U digital storefronts. But it doesn't understand what Nintendo expects its fanbase to do. Denying commercial access is one thing, but only if it comes hand in hand with support of institutional archival preservation. Nintendo's joint removal of games from availability and continued efforts against archival are what's being described as "actively destructive."
To provide some perspective on the situation, Nintendo's closure of the Wii U and 3DS eShops will make nearly 2,000 games unavailable. That includes 450 digital-only Wii U games, 600 digital-only 3DS games, and around 530 Virtual Console games outside those already available on Nintendo Switch Online. It's an astonishing number of game releases that Nintendo simply has no plan for or willingness to make available -- potentially ever again.
As for what the Video Game History Foundation would like Nintendo to do, it asks for it to "rethink its position" on archival and to work with the ESA to find a solution. Whether this means making classic games available through library systems or otherwise, all the VGHF wants is for these games not to be lost in time.
Judging from social media, Nintendo fans absolutely agree with the Video Game History Foundation. It isn't just that thousands of games could disappear overnight, but that Nintendo's only plan for them is to make a scant few available via a subscription service. Though the pervasive opinion online is for Nintendo to leave the Wii U and 3DS storefronts up perpetually. Given Nintendo's history, neither the Video Game History Foundation nor Nintendo fans are likely to get what they'd like.