In 2010 a group of Halo 2 Diehards called “Noble 14” remained logged in to the multiplayer shooter For weeks after Microsoft shut down online servers for the original Xbox on April 14th. The service’s final player was Apache N4SIR, which finally launched just after midnight on May 11th. Fourteen years later, a group of Nintendo fans fought last month against the Wii U and shutdown of the 3DS online server in games like Pokémon And Y And Xenoblade Chronicles Xjust broke that record.
They now call themselves “Crazy 8” and some of them still play online, even though Nintendo has officially shut down the servers for it last console generation on April 8th.
“We made it!” tweeted YouTuber GaffsNotLaffs, who documents their efforts. “Everyone on this list stayed online longer after the Nintendo Network shutdown than Apache N4SIR did after the original Xbox Live shutdown Halo 2!”
The Crazy 8 included the player Amanda Pokemon X and YFishguy 6564 and Gearworks in Mario Kart 7SlitherySheep in Mario MakerLCD101 inch Splatoon, and Omoroid, Eeveh-roo-deh and Gorrah!! In Xenoblade Chronicles X. “Nintendo Network’s Crazy 8 have officially broken the Noble 14’s record. It’s been an amazing, amazing journey. I love you all,” tweeted Lcd101, the only surviving squid child.
The circus began after Nintendo took the online gaming networks offline on Wii U and 3DS last month. However, players who left their games running remained connected and were still able to view multiplayer lobbies and use internet features as long as they did not turn off their consoles. “Good morning, squid researchers!” wrote LCD101 on April 10th. “As you can see, I’m still in the lobby. I ran out of food, but I discovered that drinking your own ink might be a suitable substitute…”
The only player left in the original Splatoon, they couldn’t actually play a game, but they reported on the map rotations and item updates in the shop every day. The Squid Sisters’ final broadcast was on April 30that this point the game remained locked to Blackbelly Skatepark and Port Mackerel for Turf War, and Bluefin Depot and Moray Towers for Rainmaker.
Nintendo superfans were so excited about Crazy 8 that at least one pretended to be a part of it, falsely claiming they were a part of it still online Pokémon Ultra Sun. “I actually disconnected on April 11th.” wrote User TKJTK made a confession on the group’s Discord after submitting an edited photo of his handheld to make it appear that it still appears online. “I did this because I thought it would be cool to be one of the last people online, even if I wasn’t online today.” They said they had canceled earlier because their 3DS was getting very hot, even when it was wasn’t charging and they didn’t want to risk the battery exploding.
The final days of Wii U and 3DS Network Services were full of more twists and turns. When the Stalwarts thought their numbers were dwindling, a secret group of others formed Xenoblade Chronicles X Players who were still online were discovered abroad. Meanwhile, Cyndaquil_x, the last one Mario Kart 8 Player, was kicked Just days before the record was broken after suffering the most unfortunate two-minute internet outage imaginable.
The Crazy 8 is now followed by the “Lucky 7”. Xenoblade Chronicles X Player Gorrah!! The connection was lost on May 5th, but it looks like the others are still doing well for now. It’s unclear when some of them will ever opt out. “This is your captain speaking with your daily update, sponsored by Forge!” Lcd101 tweeted yesterday. “It’s day twenty-seven and Forge has these awesome aviators back in stock at Cooler Heads! They still remind me of an octopus I’ve known many times – HEY!! Get rid of that piece of paper with the date on my screen!!”
