What Nintendo nixing Gold Points might mean for the Switch 2's release
On Tuesday, Nintendo dropped a bombshell regarding its online shop.
The video game company revealed it would soon discontinue its popular Gold Points system — which rewarded gamers with five percent cashback on purchases (in the form of points) whenever they bought software and or DLC on the Nintendo eShop.
Given that all Gold Points took a full calendar year to expire after buying something, they became a valuable way to create solid discounts when making future purchases on the eShop. This fostered a continuous, healthy feedback loop for gamers and Nintendo alike.
Alas, starting on March 25th, 2025, purchases and preorders made on Nintendo's eShop will no longer accumulate Gold Points. If you have any points on the verge of expiring now, I'd highly encourage you to find a way to spend them if they are, in any way, meaningful.
Naturally, this move is rightfully being seen as a huge blow to gamers, many of whom enjoyed using Gold Points, for example, to take advantage of a robust indie game market. Usually, having a ready-made discount on hand encouraged these sorts of purchases more than you otherwise would've expected.
Of course, Nintendo discounting Gold Points isn't necessarily all bad news. It is rumored that the highly-anticipated Switch 2 is coming later this year. A likely comprehensive Nintendo Direct on April 2 about the next steps for the console may even outline a release date.
This is admittedly perhaps delusional, but the fact that Nintendo is stopping one of its most popular consumer-friendly services before the next Direct about its next console might point to the company revealing a new sort of points system exclusive to the Switch 2.
Is Club Nintendo coming back? Will there be a points system using some kind of terminology from a Mario or Zelda game for branding now?
Which … also might mean the Switch 2's release date is closer than we think (this summer?!).
However, given Nintendo's notorious reputation for almost never putting its first-party games on sale, the more likely explanation here is that the company is just tightening its purse strings by getting rid of Gold Points. Because that's what it does. That sadly feels much more plausible until we know more about the Switch 2 in the early spring.
Don't mind me. I'm coping and dreaming here, nonetheless.
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