One of my favourite stories of 2017 is the fact that Nintendo included a hidden copy of Golf, a game originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) back in 1984, in the hybrid system’s firmware.
While the Japanese gaming giant has never officially confirmed the game’s existence, many viewed the inclusion of Golf in the Switch’s firmware as a tribute to the game’s iconic programmer, Nintendo’s late CEO Satoru Iwata.
Now, according to members of a Switch homebrew community called Switchbrew, Nintendo has removed Golf’s source code from the system.
Switch update 4.0.0 stubs “flog” — all code to launch it removed, and flog executable overwritten with (signed) garbage. https://t.co/6Q47sHn7Ud
— Michael (@SciresM) December 24, 2017
‘Flog’ is the file name Nintendo assigned to the emulator that powered Golf.
Accessing the game was difficult and required the Switch’s system date to be set to July 11th, the date Iwata passed away. Users, however, aren’t able to set the system’s internal clock once it’s been connected to the internet.
Some users, however, uncovered another possible way to access the game: holding both Joy-Con controllers and pointing them outward, another tribute to Iwata since this is a trademark gesture he often used during Nintendo Direct presentations (I only learned about this method today).
It’s unclear if this was a mistake on Nintendo’s part, or if the company decided the touching tribute has run its course. The closest the Japanese gaming company has ever come to officially acknowledging the presence of the easter egg is during a Kotaku interview with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.
Image credit: YouTube
Source: Switchbrew Via: Polygon
MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.
