Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 7 Cloud Version for Nintendo Switch will be taken offline in Japan later this year. The rental streaming version of the title has been available in the region for longer than it has in western countries, and it seems as though the publisher doesn’t deem it viable any longer.
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As reported by Silliconera, Capcom announced that any owners of a rental pass for Resident Evil 7 Cloud Version in Japan need to use it and play the game before May 29. Switch users were able to buy a 180-day pass that allows them to play the game within that period, but the servers will be shut down at the end of May, meaning you won’t be able to play regardless of how long is left on your pass.
It was announced late last year that Resident Evil 7, Village, 2, and 3 were all coming to the Switch in the West as cloud versions. These are still available today, and, at the time of writing, their product pages don’t mention anything about termination of service. At about the same time they launched in the West, in December 2022, sales of rental passes for Resident Evil 7 Cloud Version were stopped. However, anyone who already owned a pass could still redeem it and play.
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Today’s news marks a definite end date for Switch players in Japan to be able to play one of the best Resident Evil titles on Nintendo’s handheld device. But it also shines a light on how easily a publisher or developer can completely remove your access to a game. After May 29, there will be no way to play the first-person survival horror game on Switch in the region, and no sign of its existence outside of reviews and news posts online.
There’s no news on whether Capcom plans to end the same service for Resident Evil Cloud Versions in the West. However, if sales drop and the cost of running streaming servers becomes unviable, it’s easy to see the company doing the same elsewhere.
