Nintendo Switch "Golf" Tribute To Iwata Is Now Gone

It wasn't meant to last. It was probably never meant to be there in the first place. Fact is, we'll never know of if the super hidden "Golf" emulation in the Nintendo Switch was something Nintendo planned on as an Easter egg or if someone snuck it in without the company noticing it. The latter might be more likely as a recent update to the Switch's firmware has apparently removed the game that was hailed by some as a heartwarming tribute to the late Satoru Iwata.

The NES Golf game has largely been attributed to Iwata's programming wizardry after being able to fit an 18-course game in a single cartridge. But if that weren't enough to associate the hidden emulated game with the company's late president, its mode of activation left nothing to the imagination.

The game could only be accessed on July 11, on Iwata's death anniversary. It could also only be activated using the hand gesture that has become iconic of Iwata's Nintendo Direct presentations. It was, as if, you were channeling the gaming icon himself.

Sadly, hackers report that the Switch firmware 4.0 update removed all references to "flog", golf spelled backwards, which was the filename for the emulator that ran the Golf game. Unsurprisingly, Nintendo hasn't commented on the removal, just as it never confirmed nor denied its existence in the first place. But considering the game could only be played on July 11, Nintendo could have at least waited until then to remove it.

VIA: Polygon