SNES Classic From 1991 Is Being Removed From Nintendo Switch

UPDATE: The removal of the SNES game below has now been confirmed for North America and Europe in addition to Japan and South Korea.

ORIGINAL: A Nintendo Switch Online game is being removed for the first time since the subscription service’s inception on September 18, 2018. And it is an SNES classic that has been removed. Nintendo has never removed a NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, or classic Sega game after adding it to Nintendo Switch Online, and it hasn’t provided a reason why the game has been removed. Whether this is a one-off or a new precedent, remains to be seen, but right now it has only impacted NSO subscribers in Japan and South Korea. That said, it is very possible it will soon impact users in North America and Europe as well.

The SNES game is specifically being removed on March 28, which means Nintendo has provided a full month notice to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. After March 28, the game will no longer be accessible in any capacity. The issue is presumably a rights or licensing issue. If this is the case, then surely a removal in North America and Europe will follow. That said, right now, only subscribers in Japan and South Korea have lost access to Super Soccer.

With the SNES game being removed from Nintendo Switch Online, it will become completely inaccessible on the Nintendo Switch eShop. In other words, there will be no option to buy the game outright, rather it is just going to disappear completely from Switch consoles.

For those unfamiliar with this game, Super Soccer debuted back in 1991 as an early football/soccer game from Human Entertainment, a studio that unfortunately closed back in 2000. It is unclear how well the SNES game sold, but it boasts a GameRankings score of 79 percent. Meanwhile, it was added to Nintendo Switch Online back in the summer of 2021.

When and if Nintendo provides any information on the SNES game being removed from Nintendo Switch Online and Nintendo Switch, we will be sure to update the story accordingly. That said, it appears Nintendo will be withholding any additional insight.

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