Nintendo Takes Wii U Versions of Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon Offline Over Security Issues

Nintendo has taken the Wii U versions of Mario Kart 8, and Splatoon offline as it attempts to fix a security issue “related to online play”.

As spotted by VGC, the following maintenance post related to the Wii U games’ online functionality appeared on the Nintendo website at 4:30 GMT (8:30 PT) on Friday, March 3.

“This network service is currently unavailable due to urgent maintenance required to fix a vulnerability related to online play,” it said. “We do not yet have information on when network services can be restored. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The security vulnerability is almost certainly ENLBufferPwn, which could allow an attacker to take over your console just by connecting to them online.

This exploit affected many of Nintendo’s games on the Switch, along with Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS.https://t.co/GWR6alQVy4

— OatmealDome (@OatmealDome) March 3, 2023

At the time of writing both games are still offline, and no timetable has been given for when the issue will be resolved.

Nintendo did not identify the cause of the security concern. However, established dataminer OatmealDome suggested in a tweet that the games could have been taken offline out of fear of a network vulnerability called ENLBufferPwn.

According to the twitter thread, the insidious vulnerability allows attackers to take over another player’s console simply by connecting to them online via multiplayer matchmaking. 

OatmealDome notes that multiple Wii U, Switch. and 3DS games have been patched to protect users from attack, but that “Splatoon 1 and Mario Kart 8 did not receive any”.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer