Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
It’s a bit of a sad week for the 99 series, as Nintendo has officially shut down and delisted another one. As of this last weekend, PAC-MAN 99 is no longer playable online, nor can the base game or any of its DLC be found on the Nintendo Switch eShop. The game is completely unavailable to play outside of single-player modes found in the DLC, which you would’ve had to have claimed before the delisting.
It was a while back that Nintendo shared details on now official delisting of PAC-MAN 99 on Nintendo’s support website. Nintendo had already begin limiting access to new purchases of DLC, including custom themes, a mode unlock, and a Deluxe package. Then, on October 8, 2023, the Big N finally dropped PAC-MAN 99 from its eShop and shut off servers for its online modes. The main PAC-MAN 99 Battle Royale mode, Private Match mode, and Online Leaderboards are no longer accessible as of this last weekend.
It's worth noting, if you already claimed PAC-MAN 99 and the DLC or unlocks you’d need to play its offline modes, you can still redownload them through your Nintendo Switch Online account. Just be aware that you’d only be able to play the offline modes and only if you had access to the Mode Unlock DLC alongside the base game.
PAC-MAN 99 shuts down just as F-Zero 99 recently took off. The surprise launch of a new multiplayer F-Zero game was a delight among fans and Nintendo has bolstered it with the free release of new tracks.
That said, only one 99 game has remained in circulation beyond a limited window and that’s Tetris 99. With that in mind, and PAC-MAN 99 shutting down, hopefully F-Zero fans don’t have a similar fate in store for one of the franchise’s first new and good things outside of Smash Bros. cameos in over a decade. Stay tuned as we continue to watch for further updates.