Nintendo has announced, with no explanation as to why, that it will be discontinuing Nintendo Gold Points on March 24. The scheme awarded points when buying both physical and digital editions of games, which could then be redeemed as currency on future eShop purchases. But, ahead of the (still unknown) launch date of the Switch 2, they will no longer be awarded.
Nintendo’s Gold Points scheme is excellent. You earn back five percent of the amount you spend on games as this store currency, which can then be used to get money off further purchases on the eShop. So if you spent $60 on a new title, you’d usually receive $3 into your account. Which might not sound like a huge amount, until the next time you’re browsing the store to look at indie games on sale and realize you can have the one that takes your eye for free! It makes buying things on the Nintendo console store feel directly rewarding, in contrast to the more intangible offers from Microsoft of Sony.
Which makes it really odd that it’s coming to an end. Gold Points you already have will continue to work as before—they’re valid for 12 months after you receive them, and you’ll still be able to use them for discounts until the last possible date, March 24, 2026. You can also still receive them until that March 24, 2025 date, on any digital or physical purchases you make. Further, physical games published ahead of the deadline will still be redeemable, even after March 24.
There’s no information regarding whether Gold Points will be redeemable against Switch 2 games on that device’s store. We’ve contacted Nintendo to try to find out more.
Read More: The Switch 2 Shouldn’t Lock Classic Nintendo Games Behind A Subscription Paywall
Nintendo’s announcement of the ending of the scheme states, “We thank you for supporting the My Nintendo Rewards program, and hope you will continue to enjoy the other features of the program.” As if it’s some sort of unavoidable event, rather than a corporate decision.
Alongside this, Nintendo has made clear that the Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers scheme won’t work for Switch 2 games. This was a separate money saver for Nintendo Switch Online users, which let you cbuy two big-name games at a discounted price.
Obviously, this is all timed ahead of the launch of the Switch 2, expected some time perhaps in May or June of this year. But it remains deeply strange, given that the Switch 1 will have a long tail and its eStore will remain online and updated with new games for years to come.
It could be—in fact it’s extremely likely—that Nintendo will announce a whole new loyalty scheme for the Switch 2, and is looking to reset everything ahead of that. But unless original Switch users will also gain the benefits, it’ll be a huge bummer. It’s also extremely odd that any of this is happening before the Switch 2 launches. Nintendo may well have plans for something even better, but if so, there would surely be a better way to go about announcing things.
.