My Nintendo Gold Coins to be Discontinued

[Moonface]

Nintendo has announced that My Nintendo Gold Coins will be discontinued as of March 24, 2025.

After this date, the following will occur:

• Digital game purchases will no longer reward Gold Coins.
  
• Physical game purchases will no longer reward Gold Coins if that game was released after March 24, 2025.
  
• Physical games released between March 24, 2024 and March 24, 2025 can be registered to redeem Gold Coins within one year of that games original release date.
  
• Gold Coins will be valid for use for 12 months after their initial issue.
  

Source: https://my.nintendo.com/news/97495f34d09fb076

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Interesting they're only discontinuing the Gold Coins and not the Platinum ones. I've never earned any Gold Coins to use them nor know off hand what they can actually be used for, so I can't say I'll miss them at all. I'm just curious if Nintendo are planning to introduce a different system alongside the Switch 2 or not.

[Maniakkid25]

They can be used in place of cash for digital purchases, where 1 gold coin = 1 cent. It's similar to Xbox Live Rewards, where making purchases rewards you with free stuff.

This... actively sucks. Why are they discontinuing this?! The post doesn't say anywhere why the are doing this!

[Moonface]

This... actively sucks. Why are they discontinuing this?! The post doesn't say anywhere why the are doing this!

This end date is 9 days before the Switch 2 Direct, so a new system for the Switch 2 is all I can think of. However, if there is a new system for the Switch 2 I don't get why point earning has to stop now rather than later, unless Nintendo doesn't want people using the coins to get discounts on cross-gen games that can be bought in the Switch 1 eShop?

[queenzelda]

I think the reason this is going away is because of the tariffs tbh. It sucks, but maybe there will be something to replace it with the Switch 2? We'll know more in April. Or maybe not, Nintendo is always doing things differently from the other gaming companies out there.

[Mr EliteL]

I haven't been on my Switch for a long while to know how many I have, I did tend to use them to help go towards anything I'm buying. *checks* Ah, I have none, very likely lost them for not getting anything in the eShop for ages. Funny I wasn't aware of Platinum Coins, if they're part of the Nintendo Switch Online/Expansion Membership then no wonder, I've not had Online for an even longer time and never had the Expansion. Yes it does suck losing Gold Coins unfortunately.

[Moonface]

I think the reason this is going away is because of the tariffs tbh. It sucks, but maybe there will be something to replace it with the Switch 2?

That seems far too quick of a decision to make for it to be due to US tariffs, and cancelling a worldwide program because of one country is pretty extreme. If Nintendo had to charge more for a Switch 2 in the US due to tariffs they wouldn't proceed to bump up the cost in every other country too, it would just be like how game prices in Brazil are stupidly high (for whatever the reason was again) compared to the rest of the world.

@Mr EliteL: I have no clue how Platinum Coins are earned normally. I have 90 of them which I think I got from some sort of giveaway or whatever but unless you get a ridiculously high number of them there's not much worth a darn to get with the things.

[queenzelda]

I think the reason this is going away is because of the tariffs tbh. It sucks, but maybe there will be something to replace it with the Switch 2?

That seems far too quick of a decision to make for it to be due to US tariffs, and cancelling a worldwide program because of one country is pretty extreme. If Nintendo had to charge more for a Switch 2 in the US due to tariffs they wouldn't proceed to bump up the cost in every other country too, it would just be like how game prices in Brazil are stupidly high (for whatever the reason was again) compared to the rest of the world.

Idk just seemed most logical to me. Nintendo has always been about 'families' and a way to prep them to pay up is to get rid of their gold coin system. :p Still, it's not like Nintendo is going to outright tell us why it's going away, not right away anyhow. *shrug* Makes me wish there was an official reason, not just a nope it's going away now. Everyone thinks something else will replace the gold coin program. I however am not that optimistic about a replacement program atmo. Still, in the end we'll see.

[Moonface]

Nintendo has always been about 'families' and a way to prep them to pay up is to get rid of their gold coin system. :p

Thinking of prepping people, I could see Nintendo removing this system because Switch 2 will encourage digital purchases or they expect more people to start doing it when that comes out and they don't want to give away so much money if digital purchasing notably increases in the future for their platform.
In a really pessimistic scenario, Nintendo would add yet another NSO tier that gives you points in some form for purchases since they don't have a competitor to the free timed games that Xbox and PS+ offer.

[ShiraNoMai]

I'm holding out hope they will use this opportunity to introduce an even better subscription system, and not this drip feed of emulated titles like they've been for this past generational cycle.

[Moonface]

I'm holding out hope they will use this opportunity to introduce an even better subscription system, and not this drip feed of emulated titles like they've been for this past generational cycle.

I can't see the current approach Nintendo does to NSO emulated games changing at all. Firstly, I doubt Nintendo has more games ready to go than they do whenever they make new additions to any of the NSO libraries. However, even if they were actually holding stuff back, it just makes sense sadly from a business perspective to give a reason for people to keep their subscription by offering new NSO library additions every month or two.
Personally I wish Nintendo just gave the option to outright buy any of those older games outright, similar to how Sony does with some PS Classic titles being free on PS+ but can be purchased separately.

Either way, Nintendo getting rid of Gold Coins isn't really going to have any bearing on how NSO functions. They weren't a subscription feature anyway.