April 8 was a tragic day for Nintendo fans across the world, as it marked the day that the 3DS and Wii U online servers were shut down for good. No longer were players able to boot up Splatoon 1 for a Turf War match online, or Pokemon X and Y for trades with people around the world, as we were all forced to say goodbye to those modes for good. Or at least, we were supposed to.
Nintendo fans haven't gone out without a fight. In the weeks and months following that fateful day, we've seen many players hang on for as long as possible in an attempt to keep those online modes alive. We saw valiant efforts from the likes of the last Splatoon player, Lcd101, who managed to stay standing for an additional 68 days, as well as Super Mario Maker player SlitherySheep, who finally disconnected in the middle of July. However, one known player is somehow still clinging on, and he tells me that in theory, "this could go on forever."
Meet Fishguy6564, the last known person connected to Mario Kart 7 and the official 3DS servers in general. His journey so far has been over four months long, and even he finds it "pretty surprising that I've been able to last this long," although it's "a bit sad in the sense that I am the only one left." However, it's not pure luck that he's managed to make it this far – it's taken some technical wizardry from a fellow Mario Kart 7 player by the name of Marioiscool246, as well as sheer determination, to hang on for so long.
Keep on trucking
The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U’s real legacy is how they brought players together
Over Discord, Fishguy6564 tells me that he and Marioiscool246 knew "Mario Kart 7 would be one of the games that would be hit the hardest" by the online shutdown, since it was "coded to die once the servers pulled the plug." He's referring to the online functionality itself here as the single-player is still playable, but with online play an enormous part of MK7's replayability, the two players had a single objective – "keep a lobby alive for as long as we could."
On the morning of April 8, Marioiscool246 set out with a mission – figure out what exactly "instructed the game to die as soon as the servers went out." By the afternoon, it appeared that the pair had an answer, as "a patch was created that supposedly prevented the death of a lobby." The two began testing this, cutting their internet connections on purpose to see what would happen, and found that "the patches allowed us to regain connection once our console was able to re-establish a connection with our router."
This was a huge development, and although the pair were "more confident" in the plan – but with only one shot to make it work, tensions were high. As the final hour loomed, the two players "deployed two bots while we enjoyed the final moments on our other consoles," and with that, it was a waiting game to find out if their plan would work, even if it was mired in "a feeling of dread."
"I didn't think we would even survive the initial shutdown," admits Fishguy6564, but fate clearly had other plans – the bots survived, and "were racing as if nothing had happened." From that point on, "it had simply become a test to see how long we could keep this going," and Fishguy6564 certainly hasn't held back when it comes to securing his handheld's survival – it's connected to an uninterruptible power supply just in case of a power outage, and is even "tucked away in a cabinet where no one can touch it." At this point, it has to be said that I have nothing but respect for these efforts.
The grind never stops
Their bots worked day and night, burning rubber around course after course, throwing shells and dropping bananas, but on May 13, tragedy struck – Marioiscool246's 3DS froze after 13,151 races. By the sound of it, the patch that the two previously put in place saved Fishguy6564's connection, too, as it's "forcing the game to think the other client" – the other player, that is – is perpetually connected. "Since Marioiscool246 has disconnected, my game will forever search for a response from a client that no longer exists," Fishguy6564 says, and it genuinely sounds dismal when he puts it like that.
"My game will forever search for a response from a client that no longer exists"
Fishguy6564
Even before that moment, as the numbers of players holding on to the old servers began to dwindle, the two had understandably "thought of disconnecting altogether." I'm sure at any point during this entire affair no one could have blamed Fishguy6564 or anyone else for dropping out – it does sound pretty lonely and tiresome, after all. However, he tells me that after joining the Nintendo Network After Hours community at the center of the server preservation efforts, "and seeing everyone fight so hard to keep Nintendo Network alive, I have used that to keep on going." He adds: "When I first started this, I had no idea there would be others who would try to stay as long as I have. It was a nice surprise knowing I was not alone."
But 127 days later, and with an old record set by Halo 2 superfans long since broken, what's next for the last online 3DS player? I ask him how long he hopes to keep going for, and the truth is, he's not certain himself. "Honestly, I'm not sure as in theory, this could go on forever," he begins. "The only thing that could stop me is if the 3DS somehow gave in. However, I think there will be a point where I think it will be appropriate to send off the service on my own terms."
When that might be isn't clear, but one thing is for sure – whenever Fishguy6564 does choose to pull the plug on his 3DS' connection, his efforts will forever be remembered by the community. He's incredibly grateful for both Marioiscool246 and those who've stuck with him on his journey, and concludes: "It sure has been a wild ride."
For more nostalgic games, be sure to check out our roundup of the 25 best 3DS games of all time.
