The official game page for Super Soccer on the Switch Online Super Nintendo service notes how this title will be removed from this digital game library on 27th March 2025 (or 28th March, depending on your location). The title is listed as a Spike Chunsoft release.
Nintendo: “This game will no longer be available starting 3/27/25 at 6:00 p.m. PDT.”
From another article (linked in above article), talking about Famicom version:
Nintendo: “The title “Super Formation Soccer” (Spike Chunsoft) included in “Super Famicom Nintendo Switch Online” will end distribution at 10:00 AM on Friday, March 28, 2025. After distribution ends, even those who have already downloaded “Super Famicom Nintendo Switch Online” will no longer be able to use it.”
Yeah-- Nintendo would rather erase their games from history than have someone play it in an unauthorized way. This shit isn’t new and why emulation has been a godsend for the general gaming community.
Well, in this specific case, it’s not a Nintendo published game, so no one is stopping them (the actual publisher) to release it any way they like.
On the other hand, it’s not likely that it would have been difficult for Nintendo to get or extend the license to keep the game on the service if they wanted to. I figure that if they’re already discontinuing gold points, this is probably the first baby step towards winding down Switch Online on the original Switch in prep for the Switch 2. It would really help to have a launch date announced for the new console though.
For a game like this, I believe you are correct. Let’s see if this is one off or they start removing games regularly.
I think they will announce the date in April direct. fingers crossed
Then you got EA making some of their games open source. It’s like our timeline is backwards.