Nintendo has temporarily taken down the online features for two of its popular Wii U games, Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon, due to a security vulnerability that was discovered. The vulnerability in question is believed to be ‘ENLBufferPwn’, which we previously reported on, and allowed attackers to gain complete access to players’ Wii U systems upon connection, resulting in a wide range of issues for the user.
To address this issue, Nintendo has initiated emergency maintenance, which is expected to be of extended duration. Unfortunately, there is no word on when online play will resume. The error code associated with this issue is 106-0811. Nintendo has apologized for the inconvenience caused and has appreciated the understanding of its users.
A popular dataminer revealed that this might be related to a known security exploit, but Nintendo never officially confirmed that they took down the games to address this issue.
The security vulnerability is almost certainly ENLBufferPwn, which could allow an attacker to take over your console just by connecting to them online.
This exploit affected many of Nintendo’s games on the Switch, along with Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS.https://t.co/GWR6alQVy4
— OatmealDome (@OatmealDome) March 3, 2023
This comes as a reminder that the Nintendo eShop for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS is set to shut down on March 27th, 2023. This means users have less than a month to make any purchases they want before the eShop closure date.
For those affected by the online play suspension, Nintendo will provide updates as and when the issue is resolved. Users are advised to keep an eye on Nintendo’s official website and social media handles for any news regarding the restoration of online features.
Mario Kart 8 made its debut on May 30th, 2014 for the Wii U console, and it quickly became a fan favorite. The game follows the same winning formula as its predecessors, with players selecting their favorite Mario character and racing around a series of tracks with the help of power-ups.
However, Mario Kart 8 also introduced some new features that set it apart from the rest of the series. One of the most exciting new elements is the anti-gravity sections, which allow players to drive on walls and even upside-down.