Iwata “homage golf game” allegedly removed in Nintendo Switch firmware update
In September this year, hackers revealed how a NES golf game had been hidden in the Nintendo Switch, and how the game was an homage to late Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata.
The game, a golf game programmed by Iwata in his early days at Nintendo, could only be launched on the date of Iwata’s birthday, by using the joycons on the Switch’s main menu screen to make a specific gesture he was famous for.
Yesterday, Switch hacker SciresM reported that Nintendo’s recent firmware 4.0.0 has removed the golf game from the console. Specifically, he says all related APIs have been stubbed (meaning the function call is still here but does nothing), and the game itself has been overwritten with random data.
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
It’s unclear why Nintendo made that decision. The golf game was a nice little touch and a good demonstration of Nintendo’s spirit. Mainstream media loved the easter egg once it was revealed by hackers.
However people have a few theories. The most obvious one is that somehow, Nintendo fears that tinkerers could use this as an entry point for future hacks. Specifically, there were hopes in the scene that a full fledged NES emulator was shipping within the Switch, and that maybe the golf game could easily be replaced with other NES games. In the same line of thoughts, maybe Nintendo are getting ready for NES support on the Switch, and wanted a clean slate.
Some people are hoping that maybe the removal is temporary, and the homage will come back temporarily each year, as we get closer to Iwata’s birthday (in July). An other explanation from twitter user user @joelippard, which I find strangely satisfying, is that maybe by finding the game, hackers have broken its meaning.
It’s because the flog was intended to be an “omamori” for Iwata, or an amulet asking for a blessing. You don’t open an omamori, or else you lose its benefits. When people found the Golf Iwata tribute, they “opened” the omamori. It’s all about their culture.
— Joe Lippard (@joelippard) December 24, 2017
In the meantime, if the golf game doesn’t come back, this could potentially increase the value of lower firmware Switch consoles in the eyes of collectors.
Source: SciresM
Is this site dead already??? Oh and first!! hahaha
Don’t worry, this is getting overblown, it’ll be back in a future update with new code. It’s obviously been obfuscated in order to prevent hackers from getting into it in later firmwares.
Given that Nintendo directly talked about about putting it in so Iwata would watch over the new console, if i remember correctly, the Omamori idea is actually quite likely. Omamori comes from the Japanese verb Mamoru which means “to protect” and that’s still really the cultural significance, not to bring good luck, but to protect against bad luck.
looool
Loving your blog but the menu bar is not displayed correctly on Safari on iOS 10, can you fix that please?
So, what’s the point in having an easter egg if you don’t want anyone to find it?. That’s the whole point of easter eggs, to find them.
Maybe it has something to do with the NES Mario game they recently released.
That’s not even a NES mario game dude…
Nintendo tells you Merry Christmas by taking Golf
Directly
From you.
heck
This site is a big stinky pile of Arroz con Pollo
trump edition will have golf game, thats it nothing else