Nintendo is set to make a historic change: next month, the company will remove a retro game from its classic catalog on Nintendo Switch Online.

Since the inception of the Nintendo Switch Online classic service in 2018, Nintendo has never pulled a game from its collection. The platform has gradually expanded its library, showcasing a variety of first- and third-party retro titles from various console generations. However, starting in March, players in Japan will see a retro game disappear, regardless of whether they have previously downloaded it.

On February 27, Nintendo Japan discreetly announced that the Super Famicom title, Super Formation Soccer, will be removed from the Nintendo Switch Online service in Japan on March 28.

Nintendo has confirmed that even players who have downloaded Super Formation Soccer on their Switch devices will lose access to it after the removal date.

Currently, this removal only affects the Japanese version of the game. In North America, the game was released as Super Soccer for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Nintendo has yet to announce any plans for the removal of this North American version from the Nintendo Switch Online classic catalog. This discrepancy appears to be due to licensing agreements, as Super Formation Soccer was published by Spike Chunsoft in Japan while Nintendo handled its global distribution.

While the audience for Super Soccer may not have been vast on the Nintendo Switch, the removal of any game from the classic catalog is still disappointing news.

Unlike other subscription services like Game Pass or PS Plus, where players can still purchase removed games digitally, Nintendo’s titles are strictly tied to the NSO subscription. Once a game is withdrawn, players lose the ability to access it entirely. This situation underscores the growing argument for Nintendo to reintroduce the Virtual Console on its next-gen platform.