Nintendo shuts down official forums "indefinitely"

by Kyle Orland { Sep 17th 2007 at 10:48PM }

Pop quiz time: You're a video game manufacturer with an insanely loyal fan base that has joined together to turn your official online forums into a vibrant, thriving Internet community. What do you do? Answer: If you're Nintendo, you shut down those forums and leave their future up in the air during a site redesign.

A cryptic message on the NSider Forums main page today announced that the message boards have been disabled "indefinitely" pending a complete overhaul of the entire Nintendo.com site. Nintendo says that the future of the forums past that redesign is "uncertain" and that the existing posts will be taken down after a week of availability in read-only format.

In the meantime, Nintendo suggests users who want to continue talking about the company should consider "starting their own Nintendo discussion sites." Sounds good to us. After all, why should a big company like Nintendo have to incur the cost of hosting, promoting and moderating a community of fans devoted to talking about their products when the fans can do it themselves?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Tags: fan, forums, internet, messageboard, Nintendo, web

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

LAZoftheTamarinds @ Sep 17th 2007 10:53PM

Well this sucks. Why would they do that?

cc123 @ Sep 17th 2007 11:27PM

Because most casuals don't post on gaming forums.

Joshua @ Sep 17th 2007 11:48PM

Exactly. I'm starting to really dislike this move by Nintendo away from gamers and toward the casual market. I just desperately hope Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros. Brawl (most importantly) can show me they still care.

I thought the site needed a redesign, but I know it's not going to turn out as something that's designed for us.

BPM @ Sep 17th 2007 11:53PM

I honestly don't think they're turning away from gamers in favor of casuals, but are trying to appeal to both. That's possible, ya know.

Goddamn, you doom-and-gloom guys piss me off.

Joshua @ Sep 18th 2007 12:03AM

Just saying what I'm seeing.

REUYL @ Sep 18th 2007 12:03AM

BPM, removing an established gaming community of over 200,000 members is not considered catering to gamers.

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Sep 18th 2007 12:13AM

Why would they do that? Well obviously 'cuz of "blah blah blah" oh shut up everybody and let's see what the new site looks like maybe?

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Sep 18th 2007 2:31AM

I'm hijacking the topline thread to say...

Can we get a chatroom for the site, Joystiq? A forum would be alright, too.

t_m @ Sep 18th 2007 3:46AM

well, as 76% of casual gamers are females, we don't want to hang out with their sort anyway!

Its against rule 2.3b of the Hardcore Gamers Rulebook to consort with females. Noob.

whymog @ Sep 17th 2007 10:55PM

Nintendo's always had a pretty terrible web presence. Unfortunately, this doesn't surprise me. :\

Shiggy @ Sep 18th 2007 5:47AM

" but are trying to appeal to both. That's possible"

No it's not. They are polar opposites.

Calviin @ Sep 18th 2007 10:06AM

Polar opposites my ass.

Real gamers like games. They don't care if they are intended for casual or hardcore. What matters is if it's fun to play. If Tetris or Dr. Mario came out nowadays, everyone would call it a casual game. Same for PacMan, Q-bert, Pong, Asteroids, and many of the classics. There was no bull over whether games were casual or hardcore. It was just fun. This industry started on these games and now when games come out now that are on par with these classics, they get called casual. What's the issue with casual? Half the so called "hardcore" gamers I have ever met are just Posers. Have you played Madden, but never/barely played PacMan? Poser. Have you played GTA, but never/barely played Space Invaders? Poser. Have you played Final Fantasy, but never/barely played Arkanoid? Poser. If you think the only games worth playing are Halo, WoW or Zelda, then you don't know shit. Poser. And you know what? I am tired of Elitist Posers coming around and shooting off their mouths about what it means to be hardcore and how lame the casual games are. I am glad that Nintendo is making games for everyone. I wish Sony and Microsoft would follow more. You go ahead and play you "hardcore" games. I'm gonna play my Metroid Prime 3 and Warioware. Maybe follow up with more FFXII and then Settlers of Catan on XBLA. Which one of those is hardcore and which are not? Fuck if I know. I'm a gamer and I don't care, just give something fun.

upz @ Sep 18th 2007 10:37AM

Quit crying, poser.

Ska Oreo @ Sep 18th 2007 1:16PM

@shiggy.

Um yes it is dumbass.

It's called the pc.

frrs @ Sep 17th 2007 10:58PM

This is an outrage!

Time to go to GameFAQS.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Sep 18th 2007 2:04AM

Oh where EVER will I go to whine now?!

YES! GameFAQS! Brilliant!

Psaakyrn @ Sep 17th 2007 11:00PM

I'm guessing they're going to make something more in line with Wii (and thus having to revamp a lot of stuff, like spoilers, language, rumors, etc). Easier to start off with a fresh slate than to try and manually tweak the whole thing.

JanJan @ Sep 17th 2007 11:00PM

Does this mean Fernando will be posting twice as much on Joystiq?

sicsided @ Sep 17th 2007 11:21PM

Hahah, nice. Nice.

Night Elve @ Sep 18th 2007 12:03AM

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Sep 18th 2007 12:52AM

As an ally of Fernando's..., damn, you zinged him good. Nice.

Jouten @ Sep 18th 2007 2:25AM

LOL! Zing! With a capital Z and exclamation mark! =D

NATO_Duke @ Sep 18th 2007 10:41AM

Can’t believe Fernando didn't comment on this zing. Pretty damn funny.

Now in all seriousness, The Sony Underground forums can host you all I bet - they need some more folks squawking in there. Get your hate on!

mccomber @ Sep 17th 2007 11:01PM

Nintendo hates online, in all it's nefarious forms. The Wii was the hint, this is the proof.

fawazr @ Sep 18th 2007 1:17AM

Nintendo hates dissension. Anyone familiar with Nintendo's history is all too aware of their lust for control (whether it be the content or development of a game, the exchange that occurs between players, acknowledgment of consumer demand, or the discourse on a fan site).

Perhaps, we've all come to attribute a "kiddy" image to Nintendo primarily because they try so very hard to act like our parents.

That said, it's premature to say just what this move means, but it's still telling that we all know Nintendo well enough to jump to the same conclusion. Hopefully, many of us will be proven wrong.

P.S.: considering just how much of the Wii's early success can be attributed to Nintendo's loyal fans who braved long lines and winter cold to have cameras and newscasters give the world notice of this innovative box, you'd think Nintendo would be more gracious. Does a site update even necessitate taking down forums?

Burnt Meatloaf @ Sep 18th 2007 4:25AM

fawazer: "Does a site update even necessitate taking down forums?"

An update, yes. A redesign, no.

Even then, a site conversion will usually only take a day, maybe more if they really suck at it.

To take forums offline "indefinitely" might be because of a serious security or administration problem that needs to be fixed before word gets around to some truly sinister people.

phattie @ Sep 17th 2007 11:01PM

They will bring it back, but, you will only be known by your 16 digit friend code.

Netjack @ Sep 17th 2007 11:32PM

lol, that like what, your 200th troll post of the day, do you just hit refresh over and over again and hope there something you can try to bash. Its like you made a list of common bash phrases, then just insert a random one to what ever the topic is.

Here another one, I hope they don't have to start firing people like Sony did.

BPM @ Sep 17th 2007 11:54PM

Friend Codes are 12-digits, troll.

The Wii Number is NOT a Friend Code.

Ska Oreo @ Sep 18th 2007 12:13AM

??? Who the fuck 1up him?

Netjack @ Sep 18th 2007 12:58AM

If you want to read all the post he has done recently, goes along the terms of, LOL RROD, LOL sony are a bunch of hypocritical, lol M$ paid
for titles. LOL LOL LOL,

You get the picture. One of those people that like to post stupid crap comments.

"??? Who the fuck 1up him?" What the hell does that mean?

Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Sep 18th 2007 1:12AM

phattie's up to 2.5 hearts for a mindless trolling comment. Preposterous. SOMEBODY must pay.

samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Sep 18th 2007 2:03AM

You know what I've never seen? 1.5 hearts. I just realized that.

blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Sep 17th 2007 11:02PM

haha

n_revolution9 @ Sep 17th 2007 11:05PM

It's about time.

Alexisonfire @ Sep 17th 2007 11:08PM

Congratulations to one "Elrade", who had the honours of the last post.

Is it just me, or is this another middle finger to the hardcore from nintendo?

hvnlysoldr @ Sep 17th 2007 11:12PM

It's you. Whenever anyone asks that it's always them.

REUYL @ Sep 17th 2007 11:14PM

http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/593/nsidershadowsracingmamacy2.jpg

Alexisonfire @ Sep 17th 2007 11:25PM

It may be me, but it still doesn't change my opinion of the matter.

I may not have gone to the forums, but it does make sense. Casual gamers aren't ones to go on a forum and talk about video games. And since Nintendo's focus has shifted on them (becoming ever closer to exclusively), it does not make business sense to support the forums your market does not use.

phattie @ Sep 17th 2007 11:42PM

Whats strange is that it basically costs nothing to run a forum.. all the content is user created; they just have to set up a nintendo themed place for their fans to congregate (rather than someplace else) and post their thoughts.

Apparently, Reggie felt there was a problem with that?

JJ Rooster @ Sep 18th 2007 8:21AM

OMG that guy is sad and will probably kill himself now. 16,000 (yes thousand!) posts on a Nintendo forum!? And he only registered barely a year ago. That is pathetic!

Aludra @ Sep 17th 2007 11:13PM

I never really did like the fourms...a 3 day wait to post is boring. Glad I started working on my own site >_

BPM @ Sep 17th 2007 11:56PM

When I visited, it never took 3 days. Maybe 3 minutes if servers were bogged down, but that's the worst I ever experienced.

REUYL @ Sep 17th 2007 11:12PM

As a devout member of The Forums Formerly Known As Nsider, I am royally pissed off. This, along with the rumors that the Big N is halting publication of its Nintendo Power magazine, is a huge blow to Nintendo's loyal fans and removes all doubt that there is just not going to be a bright future for the "gamers".

If Ninty is demolishing their forums just to cater to the casual gamers (as possibly evidenced in the statement, "Nintendo is working... to support the continued success of Nintendo DS and Wii."), then I say, SCREW YOU NINTENDO.

But I digress. There has to be a deeper issue here; even the user moderators were not given notice of this shutdown until it happened today.

Backslash @ Sep 18th 2007 1:13AM

nSiders unite. Preach on.

SKI @ Sep 18th 2007 7:54AM

"This, along with the rumors that the Big N is halting publication of its Nintendo Power magazine"

Has anyone thought about there might be a forum Channel and Nintendo Power Channel on the Wii and Nintendo just wants everything in one place?

Mr Khan @ Sep 18th 2007 5:28PM

I too have been pondering that, while a lot of Nintendo's disreputable moves have always had an explanation (1st party devs hated load times, thus cartridges and mini-dvd's, the accessibility of a low cost and low tech Wii, even the click-and-go with no frills attached nature of their online play) these recent moves make no sense at all, unless placed in the context of Wii-based replacements for these losses

I mean this one in particular doesn't make sense, the Nsider forums were prospering, and i don't know why they would want to get rid of them, as phattie said, it costs them little to nothing

There is no explanation for this, clearly