Catan digital online multiplayer to be disabled on Nintendo Switch
After GameSparks’ servers shut down.
The online multiplayer features for Catan digital on Nintendo Switch are set to be disabled next month.
In a tweet from the official Twitter account for Asmodee Digital, the company responsible for publishing Catan digital, it was announced that the online multiplayer features for Catan digital on Nintendo Switch will be disabled in August.
The disabling of online multiplayer for Catan digital on Nintendo Switch is reportedly a “direct consequence of GameSparks’ servers being shut down.” GameSparks is a platform that provides services for creating accounts, managing digital currency and any achievements players might have unlocked in their video game. (Thanks Delisted Games.)When Amazon purchased the company in 2017, it was announced in 2021 that new accounts could not be made on any existing games using GameSparks’ services, nor could any brand-new video games be created using GameSparks.
Whilst many video games that use GameSparks have been delisted or are set to be delisted in the near future – including Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor, a video game based on the miniatures game series – several others, including Catan digital on Nintendo Switch, will see the removal of various online features. Though players will no longer be able to access the online multiplayer features for Catan digital on their Nintendo Switches, they will still have the option to play the game’s solo modes.
Catan digital on Nintendo Switch is a digital board game based on the tabletop original that has players attempting to build their own civilisations on the island of Catan. The digital version was originally released in 2019 and included online multiplayer features that enabled players to challenge each other remotely. The graphics depict the Catan game board, with players able to interact with the virtual board and pieces via their Nintendo Switch, which can be played in ‘docked’ mode – meaning connected to a TV or monitor – or in ‘handheld’ mode on the go.
Besides Catan digital on Nintendo Switch, Asmodee Digital is also behind the release of several other digital board games such as Gloomhaven Digital – the video game version of the dungeon-crawler board game – A Game of Thrones: The Board Game – Digital Edition, Takenoko and Blood Rage: Digital Edition.
Catan is a board game for three to four players that takes place on a mysterious uninhabited island that the players are tasked with colonising. In the game, players take turns to roll dice, with the players who control the hexes that match the result rolled getting the corresponding resource. Players can use their resources to build settlements and roads, as well as purchase development cards that give them useful items or victory points. Eventually, players can upgrade their settlements into cities, as long as they have the necessary resources. Players can attempt to trade with their opponents to get the resources they need, but they both have to agree on the conditions of the trade to carry it out.
Online multiplayer for Catan digital on Nintendo Switch will be disabled on August 4th, with the retail price of the video game dropping to $15/€15 (£12) as a result. It has not been confirmed whether existing players will receive any compensation. Dicebreaker has reached out to Asmodee’s PR for comment.