Nintendo’s customer review section on the publisher’s official website is offline. Previously, Switch fans stumbled across a test feature implemented for a limited time.
Last week, Nintendo Switch fans spotted a new customer review functionality added to Nintendo’s online game listings. But instead of launching the ability, Nintendo has officially pulled the review service in order to “evaluate” its usefulness.
The news comes after Nintendo Switch users stumbled across a removal message on each Switch game’s Nintendo.com webpage, where fans originally found the customer review function. Instead, on pages for games like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Super Mario Odyssey, the site warns that Nintendo has “no estimated date” for when customer reviews will go online again.
“Customer reviews have been taken offline as we evaluate this feature and its functionality,” Nintendo writes on the games’ pages. “We currently have no estimated date on when an update will be provided. We appreciate the positive response and thank the reviewers who provided such thoughtful commentary on the games.”
A report from Polygon reveals that the Nintendo Switch review function was split into several categories. Players could give games an overall five-star rating, provide a review headline, and add a review comment with a minimum of 50 characters. From there, reviewers could also tag a game with words like “Challenging,” “online play,” “Graphics,” and “Intuitive controls,” and choose between whether their review comes from a “Nintendo fan,” “Core Gamer,” “Casual player,” or “Parent.”
It’s unclear if Nintendo has officially ended the feature, although it seems unlikely. A Nintendo of America representative reached out to Polygon with more information about pulling the service, and it sounds like the publisher is simply tweaking the review section’s abilities and features.
“Nintendo.com recently offered a trial customer review feature to let users share feedback about Nintendo Switch games on our website,” the Nintendo spokesperson said to Polygon. “We have no estimate on when an update will be provided on the status of this initiative, but we appreciate the enthusiasm shown for the trial.”
Theoretically, that means Nintendo Switch game reviews may return. But until then, customers will have to get their advice from somewhere other than Nintendo’s official site.
