In an age where online games like Fortnite continue to thrive year after year and dominate the mindshare of gamers, Nintendo is leaving a lot of potential sales and attention on the table by not adopting more long-term DLC strategies.

Outside of halting support of a game to focus on a sequel, which I suspect was the case for Splatoon 2, it’s difficult to understand Nintendo’s thought process behind these missed opportunities. But for the most part, the company chooses seemingly arbitrary dates to end its support. It’s clear that Nintendo can pump out a consistent roadmap of quality content for its live-service-ish games when it wants to. No one can begrudge Masahiro Sakurai a well-deserved break, but it’s hard not to wonder why Nintendo wouldn’t want someone to keep making DLC and continue the hype around one of its bestselling titles. Ultimate recently came to the end of its second Fighters Pass. For a game that is driven by community-created content, it seemed strange that Nintendo would abruptly cut off support of Super Mario Maker 2, especially after a consistent slew of great updates like a playable Link and only one additional game style. Yet in July 2019, Nintendo officially ended its support of Splatoon 2, and Super Mario Maker 2 support has long since ceased as well. In either case, the new content strengthened the communities around these games and sustained long-term interest in them. Mobile titles like Mario Kart Tour now have about 135 characters via updates, and console games like Splatoon 2 were given new maps, weapons, and limited-time events called Splatfests. Nintendo has been trying to adapt to the times in some places. It’s also strange for Nintendo to not capitalize on its evergreen darlings with new paid content. So, why does Nintendo approach DLC this way? Perhaps it has little impact on its bottom line, but it’s frustrating for players that want more from their games. Yet regardless of the type of game, Nintendo inevitably ends support earlier than players wanted, with the rare exceptions of games like Super Mario Odyssey that surprisingly received no major DLC. Splatoon 2 received a fantastic cadence of updates for a while, and single-player games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild enjoyed DLC expansions. For instance, whereas most developers have plans to implement a roadmap of DLC and keep games fresh, Nintendo is frustratingly consistent about keeping DLC support short and sweet, at best. Nintendo’s legacy is undeniable, but in many respects, it lags behind the curve with features that are expected in modern gaming.

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