Club Nintendo closes its doors on the 30th of September leaving just enough time to cash in those hard-earned stars and as a final and fitting tribute Nintendo has released a special Goodbye Coin which will bring a tear to the eye of any loyal fan.
The Goodbye Coin will cost 2,000 stars and is a charming silver coin measuring 40mm in diameter (sadly not gold as one might have thought). On one of its shiny surfaces is stamped the Super Mario Bros. – Mario and Luigi, smiling and waving in a farewell gesture, with a star above them and ‘Thank You’ in Japanese lettering. On the back is the Club Nintendo logo with Mario cap. The coin also comes in a velvet drawstring bag to protect this lovely keepsake. We get choked up just describing it.
A few other items are still up for grabs before the points become worthless at the end of the month, and these include a Nintendo Sound Selection CD for 3,000 stars which features (conveniently) ‘Endings and Credits’.
Also See: Club Nintendo To Close This September After 8 Years
The sad news that Nintendo planned to end its long-standing loyalty scheme after 8 years came back in January with closure planned for later in the year. But it’s said that Club Nintendo will be replaced with a new program – a yet to be unannounced scheme that is rumoured to incorporate Nintendo’s surprising new interest in the mobile market.
Also See: Nintendo Enters Mobile Gaming Alliance With DeNA
We can perhaps envision some kind of barcode/QR or NFC scanning system where points are digitally collected from Nintendo products purchased and traded for mobile games and content through the new partnership with app developer DeNA. Of course these are just thoughts of fantasy while we console ourselves over the loss of Club Nintendo.