The Nintendo Miiverse has officially shut down, and the users of the social network are now mourning the loss of the family-friendly online community.
The writing was on the wall for the social network when it was revealed that it will not be a part of the Nintendo Switch. However, fans are still finding it hard to accept the Nintendo Miiverse closure.
What Made The Nintendo Miiverse So Special?
The Nintendo Miiverse was launched alongside the Nintendo Wii U back in November 2012, and then later expanded to also support the Nintendo 3DS. However, while the Nintendo Wii U is largely seen as a failure, the Nintendo Miiverse was a resounding success.
Nintendo's social network featured online communities that catered to every game and app that can be found on the Nintendo Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS. Players posted anything they wanted about the games, with moderators monitoring the communities to make sure that they remained family-friendly.
In the Nintendo Miiverse, gamers enjoyed their own little slice of the internet by sharing fan art, posting messages, and talking with other fans of their favorite titles. Compared to users of other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, users of the Nintendo Miiverse knew that they shared at least one interest, and that is a game for the Nintendo Wii U or Nintendo 3DS that they love.
Why Did Nintendo Shut Down The Nintendo Miiverse?
"We decided to end the service at this time because, among other reasons, many users are shifting to social networking services," Nintendo said in an official statement. However, the decision to shut down the Nintendo Miiverse, instead of continue it and add the Nintendo Switch and its games to its communities, is driven by one thing: money.
The cost of maintaining the servers of the Nintendo Miiverse is significant, especially with the fact that Nintendo never earned anything from running the social network. With the Nintendo Switch coming with Facebook and Twitter connectivity, such as for uploading video captures, there simply was no reason for the Nintendo Miiverse to continue, from Nintendo's perspective. Why make the effort in keeping its own social network online, when there are many others that are available?
Users mourned the pending demise of the social network for gamers, and are mourning again now that the Nintendo Miiverse is gone for good. The sad farewells and grateful goodbyes to the Nintendo Miiverse have been plenty, as another safe haven for gamers may never again happen within the sprawling internet.
