Nintendo has announced that it will discontinue the popular Gold Points scheme on March 24, leaving many users confused and concerned. The program rewarded users with points when purchasing both physical and digital copies of games, which could be redeemed for discounts on future eShop purchases.
The Gold Points system offered a unique benefit, earning users back five percent of their purchase amount as store currency that could be used to get money off further purchases on the eShop. This made buying games on the Nintendo console store feel directly rewarding.
Despite this, Nintendo has announced that the scheme will come to an end ahead of the expected launch of the Switch 2 in May or June this year. The existing Gold Points earned by users will still be valid for 12 months and can be used for discounts until March 24, 2026. However, there is no information on whether these points will be redeemable against future games on the new console.
The decision to discontinue the scheme has left many wondering if Nintendo is planning a new loyalty program for the Switch 2 or if this is simply an unrelated announcement. It’s unclear why Nintendo felt the need to make such a significant change ahead of the launch, but it may be part of a larger strategy to reset its loyalty schemes.
As the Switch 1 will continue to have a long tail and its eShop will remain updated with new games for years to come, this move has raised concerns among original users that they will not receive similar benefits. A better approach from Nintendo would have been to announce changes ahead of time, leaving fans with something to look forward to rather than being left in the dark.
Source: https://kotaku.com/nintendo-switch-2-gold-points-loyalty-scheme-1851765041