Nintendo’s Bold Move: The Bittersweet Decision to Phase Out Gold Editions

We are currently about six weeks away from Nintendo’s Switch 2 Direct in April, and the company is presumably preparing diligently for the anticipated showcase of its new hardware. Until that time, we are left to dissect statements surrounding its financial results and various minor announcements for hints related to the Switch successor beyond its release date. The firm’s latest announcement is indirectly related to Switch 2, and it brings significant disappointment to many: Nintendo is discontinuing its Gold Points program.

Initially launched in March 2016 as part of My Nintendo, a replacement for Club Nintendo, you will no longer earn Gold Points on any eShop purchases after March 24, 2025. This means that anyone looking to purchase Switch 1 games on the forthcoming successor will also miss out on the benefits of the loyalty program.

Is it reasonable to say that Gold Points are being phased out as a highly anticipated new program looms? Not really, especially when considering market factors. However, waking up to this news on a dreary Tuesday can be quite discouraging for those who have found themselves gravitating towards the digital ‘dark side’ with the Switch.

Alongside the convenience of having your games consolidated on a single SD card, Gold Points provided small but real financial savings on digital titles, offering you 5% back on everything you purchased from the eShop and 1% on physical items. With occasional ‘2x Gold Points’ promotions, buying a full-priced £60 game could earn you up to £6 worth of credit, and with your cumulative discounts during regular sales, that could snag you a classic title or two.

This wasn’t a significant savings, but it was consistent and combined with those exceptional sales, it provided a solid financial incentive to consider purchasing digitally. Why would Nintendo choose to end the program now? Could they be planning something new for Switch 2?

Well, call us skeptical, but while 5% might seem like a minor discount, it represents a substantial volume of pure profits if you’re launching a hot new system with millions of users eager to acquire new games. Nintendo may have an innovative loyalty program planned for Switch 2 down the line, and with backwards compatibility and the ability to purchase next-gen Switch games on the new console complicating matters, now could be an opportune moment from the company’s viewpoint to eliminate the existing program.

We wouldn’t be surprised if a successor to Gold Points emerges substantially after the launch of Switch 2, especially once the initial wave of interest has calmed down and that 5% profit is securely reported in the earnings column when the FY2025/26 financial results are disclosed.

Additionally, Game Vouchers will not carry over to Switch 2 titles. For anyone with a Switch Online subscription who is interested in Nintendo-published games (the reason 99% of us have a Switch in the first place), £84.00 for two first-party games is not an awful deal.