Nintendo Network logo
The Nintendo Network logo

The Nintendo Network was an online gameplay network for Nintendo consoles that acted similarly to Sony's PlayStation Network and Microsoft's Xbox network, providing online play for compatible games on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The first public appearance of the Nintendo Network was on January 20, 2012, when an image of the box art for Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was shown with a Nintendo Network icon, but it is preceded by the service being called by name in original and European releases of Mario Kart 7, although not in North American copies. The service was officially announced on January 26, 2012, and became available later that year.

The Nintendo Network was the second online network created by Nintendo, after the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (which launched during the release of Mario Kart DS). Unlike its predecessor, which focused on specific functionalities within games and a largely de-centralized environment, Nintendo Network aimed to establish a central platform where consumer services, such as user accounts and Miiverse, were connected. While Nintendo Network offered similar features to Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, including online gaming through games that require Nintendo Network and digital purchases and downloadable content through Nintendo eShop, it was also used for additional features such as updates, sending gameplay data statistics, and user account control.

Nintendo dropped long-term plans for the Nintendo Network after establishing their partnership with DeNA, which helped them develop the single sign-on Nintendo Account system, My Nintendo, and other online services that function beyond Nintendo's own hardware. On October 4, 2023, Nintendo announced that the service would be terminated in early April 2024, discontinuing online play and other functionalities that use online communication for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software.[1] As announced on January 23, 2024, Nintendo Network was terminated on April 8, 2024 at 5:00 PM PDT, more than 12 years after it was announced, and nearly 10 years after the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was terminated.[2] It was succeeded by Nintendo Switch Online for the Nintendo Switch.

Super Mario-related games with Nintendo Network functionalityEdit

Nintendo 3DSEdit

Wii UEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ニンテンドーネットワーク[?]
Nintendō Nettowāku
Nintendo Network
Chinese 任天堂网络服务[?]
Rèntiāntáng Wǎngluòfúwù
Nintendo Network Service
French Nintendo Network[?] -
German Nintendo Network[?] -
Italian Nintendo Network[?] -
Korean 닌텐도 네트워크[?]
Nintendo Neteuwokeu
Nintendo Network
Russian Нинтендо Нетворк[?]
Nintendo Netvork
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Spanish Nintendo Network[?] -

ReferencesEdit