Nintendo has officially announced that the online service for the battle royale puzzle game PAC-MAN 99 will end later this year. The servers for PAC-MAN 99 are set to close on Sunday, October 8, 2023, and the game will be fully delisted from the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Nintendo Switch Online加入者限定ソフト『PAC-MAN 99』のオンラインサービスを2023年10月8日（日）に終了いたします。
なお、有料追加コンテンツのオフラインモードは、オンラインサービス終了後も引き続きお楽しみいただけます。
くわしくは、こちらをご覧ください。https://t.co/pm4aKmFly6
— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) May 17, 2023
Nintendo Packing Up PAC-MAN 99, Online Service to End in October 2023
PAC-MAN 99 was released back on April 7, 2021, as an online battle royale celebrating the franchise’s 40-year history. It was available as an exclusive free feature for Nintendo Switch Online members, allowing players to take on 98 other Pac-Men in a battle royale format to become the last Pac-Man standing!
The game features various paid DLC content that players can purchase to add to their experience released over the course of the game’s lifespan, like classic themes and custom packs.
It has now been confirmed that various content will be discontinued later on in the year, likely as a result of a reduced player base since the game’s release.
Paid custom themes will be discontinued on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at 8:00 AM PDT/11:00 AM EDT. PAC-MAN 99 Deluxe Pack and PAC-MAN 99 Mode Unlock will be discontinued on Friday, September 8, 2023, at 8:00 AM PDT/11:00 AM EDT.
And finally, the official discontinuation of online services for the main game, as well as distribution of the main game and free custom themes, will come into effect on Sunday, October 8, 2023, at 9:00 PM PDT/12:00 AM EDT. The game will also be delisted from the Nintendo Switch Online page.
It should be noted that even after online services are discontinued, users that either own the PAC-MAN 99 Deluxe Pack or the PAC-MAN 99 Mode Unlock can continue to enjoy the CPU Battle, Blind Time Attack, and Score Attack features in offline mode.
Themes that were purchased can continue to be used in offline mode as well, and any previously purchased content can be re-downloaded after discontinuation comes into effect.
