The last Splatoon player says they've somehow stayed in the dead Nintendo servers: "I get lonely sometimes, but at least I have my Amiibo"
It's lonely at the end of the road
One lone Splatoon player is still holding out in the Nintendo shooter's servers hours after they were officially shut down, and they're "so lonely."
Earlier this week came the unfortunate shutdown of servers for Nintendo's 3DS and Wii U platforms, completely shuttering servers for tons of games like Splatoon and Mario Kart. Well over a day later, at the time of writing, one lone Splatoon player is still somehow online and active on their Wii U, staking their territory on Nintendo's servers and refusing to budge.
You can see the player in question just below. "Almost a day after closing, I am the final Splatoon 1 player online," the player writes, adding that they're going to "hold out" for as long as they possibly can. Somewhat predictably, though, considering that they're still playing what's ostensibly an online shooter, they're "so lonely." Still, they've got the amiibo games to keep them company.
Hello, squidkids! Another update from someone still in the Nintendo Network.Almost a day after closing, I am the final Splatoon 1 player online. I’m going to hold out for as long as I can. I’m so lonely…#Splatoon pic.twitter.com/esni8f17tQApril 9, 2024
But there's more! A matter of minutes ago, the player reported that they're still active and somehow alive on the Wii U's servers, and are reposting the map rotations for Splatoon.
Good morning, squid researchers! As you can see, I’m still in the lobby. I ran out of food, but I’ve discovered that drinking one’s own ink could be a suitable replacement…Ack!! I’ll never try that again. Anyway, here’s the rotation! pic.twitter.com/6C0R940JVIApril 10, 2024
It turns out the player in question is actually on a Steam Deck, playing the original Splatoon through an emulator. That's not to say they aren't using the same game servers that they would if they were on a Wii U, obviously. The player is leaving their Wii U firmly powered down for the time being because they don't want to see what would happen if the same Nintendo ID was active on two devices at once.
Even after the Wii U and 3DS servers shut down, Nintendo fans continued playing their favorite online games for hours. "IF YOU'RE STILL ONLINE FOR SPLATOON 1, DO NOT RESET YOUR WII U. It's still kicking for a LOT OF PEOPLE! KEEP PLAYING," wrote one player in a spirited Twitter post. Dozens of players continued playing for a while, but we might have the final Wii U online player on our hands here.
Take a look at our upcoming Switch games guide for a look at all the new Nintendo games we've got to look forward to for this year and beyond.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.