The program will be discontinued; new loyalty program in the works.

This morning an announcement was posted stating that Club Nintendo, the loyalty membership program for Nintendo, will be discontinued. The reason behind the closure is that Nintendo is focusing on "planning a new customer loyalty program," though no details on this new program are available yet. Nintendo has released a timeline for the Club Nintendo shutdown:

Club Nintendo program discontinuation schedule

• 1/20/2015: Products released after this date are not eligible for registration with Club Nintendo
• 3/31/2015: Last day to earn Coins, register products with Club Nintendo, and sign up for new Club Nintendo membership
• 6/30/2015: Last day to redeem Coins or access your account on the Club Nintendo website. Club Nintendo program shuts down at 11:59pm PT on 6/30/2015.

Your Account and Coin Balance

The information in your Club Nintendo account will not be transferred to the new loyalty program. We are adding multiple items to our reward catalog, so please be sure to redeem your Coins before the deadline on June 30, 2015. Unused Coins will be deleted as of July 1, 2015.

2015 Elite Status

In order to reach Elite Status, you must earn 300 Coins (for Gold Status) or 600 Coins (for Platinum Status) between July 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015. Members who reach Elite Status will be able to choose a downloadable game from a wide selection of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U titles. Your free Elite Status gift will be available between April 1 and April 30, 2015. A list of the Elite Status 2015 gifts will be posted here once announced.

The entire shutdown FAQ is available over on the Club Nintendo site.

Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor