Recently, a Nintendo Switch game released only in 2023 was delisted and its servers shut down. It’s not a hard delisting, so the Nintendo Switch game will still appear in the library of everyone who paid $30 for it. It won’t be playable, though, despite having both single-player and multiplayer content. If the game were to shut down on other platforms, the latter content would remain available, but because the Nintendo Switch version is a Cloud game, even its single-player content is online content. As a result, with servers being turned off, the entire game is unplayable now. This is unfortunate considering how much it costs and how fairly recent it is. Making matters worse, there are no plans for a refund or even a partial refund.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Back in 2023, developer Cold Iron Studios released its third-person shooter, Aliens: Fireteam Elite, on Nintendo Switch, two years after it came to other platforms. On other platforms, the game persists, though. On Switch, it has been shut down since earlier this month. At the time, it was unclear if refunds would be issued in the future, but it has now been confirmed this won’t be the case. There will be something, though.
Something Is Better Than Nothing
According to a new statement given by Cold Iron Studios, while there are no refunds and this is not changing, it is working on a program that will allow owners of Aliens: Fireteam Elite on Nintendo Switch to receive a discounted voucher or credit on Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, which is set to release on August 25, but not the Switch 2 version. The Switch 2 version doesn’t currently have a release date.
“We are working on a program for players who purchased the cloud version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite on Nintendo Switch that will provide an option to receive a discounted voucher or credit on Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2, which will run locally on Nintendo Switch 2 and will not require a cloud streaming service to play when it becomes available later this fall,” said Cold Iron Studios to IGN. “Weโll share details on eligibility and how to participate as soon as they are finalized.”
Of course, this is a nice gesture from Cold Iron Studios, but not for those who own the game on Nintendo Switch who haven’t upgrade to Nintendo Switch 2, which, given the current Switch 2 metrics, has to be an appreciable number of owners of the game on Switch.
That said, it is worth noting this has been pretty consistent with other Cloud games. Once servers shut down, it doesn’t matter if they are single-player games; they are done, and rarely are refunds issued for them. This has not proven to be an exception.
More Gaming
-
Courtesy of Square Enix and Disney
