Although Super Mario 3D All-Stars is still set to become unavailable to purchase on the Nintendo Switch eShop after March 31, Nintendo has confirmed that players can still redeem download codes for the Mario collection after that date. That's not a particularly high bar for the beloved gaming company to step over in the wake of its incredibly unpopular decision to remove the game, but players with unredeemed download codes can at least rest assured that their purchases will be recognized by Nintendo.
In what's being cheekily referred to online as "Mario's public execution," Nintendo is capping off its Super Mario 35th anniversary by removing Super Mario 3D All-Stars, an emulated collection of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy for Switch, from digital sale on the eShop. Also leaving Nintendo's digital shelves is some limited-time Super Mario anniversary merch, and support for the online-only Super Mario Bros. 35 battle royale game will cease on the same day. This decision has been widely criticized by the gaming community, especially by game preservationists and those who perceive Nintendo's deadline for the games' sale as a cynical effort to increase sales just in time for its fiscal year's end.
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At the very least, though, it appears that those who have bought or been gifted Super Mario 3D All-Stars download codes and have yet to fulfill them are still in luck. According to VGC, Nintendo of Japan has confirmed that download codes for the collection will still be redeemable on the Switch eShop "after April." However, Nintendo is clearly still full steam ahead on the game's early digital demise after March 31, as it will still otherwise be unavailable to buy from the eShop and no further physical cartridges will be made.
This, of course, changes little for the vast majority of potential owners of Super Mario 3D All-Stars. Those who planned to buy the game since it launched in September 2020 likely already did if they had the means to do so; those who couldn't or had no intention of picking up the Switch remasters likely won't pick up download codes to redeem on or after April 1. What this does entail, though, is exactly what the game struggled with on the lead-up to and just after launch: more opportunities for Nintendo scalpers to take advantage of regular players' desire to get a hold of a limited-time product.
Anyone hoping for a last-minute reversal from Nintendo on Super Mario 3D All-Stars (or any other portion of the Super Mario 35th Anniversary digital massacre) should take these specifics on niche situations like download codes as a solid sign that the remasters' digital fate is sealed. Despite promises to the contrary about future limited-time digital runs, Nintendo and its shareholders will no doubt be looking over how successful the method was come April 1.
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Super Mario 3D All-Stars will be available to purchase digitally on Nintendo Switch until March 31, 2021.
Source: VGC