Nintendo responds to Labo homepage removal

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Update – April 20: Nintendo of America says Labo will remain available even after the removal of its main web page. 

The company responded to a request for comment regarding the recently redirected Labo homepage and the perceived implications for the future of the product line, with many users wondering if Labo products would be scaled back. Here’s its statement in full:

“Nintendo Labo is available at retail locations. We routinely conduct product website maintenance and reorganization. Information on Nintendo Labo can be found at Nintendo.com.”

Original story – April 16: 

Nintendo has quietly shut down its dedicated Labo homepage, possibly signaling the end of the Switch’s line of buildable cardboard accessories.

As flagged by Twitter user Akfamilyhome (via Nintendo Life (opens in new tab)), the North American website for all things Labo (formerly labo.nintendo.com) now redirects (opens in new tab) to a product page for Labo VR.

We’ve reached out to Nintendo for clarification, but it’s hard to see this is as anything but bad news for Labo. Though, it’s worth pointing out that an insider with a proven track record for accurate leaks says to expect “one more tiny announcement before Labo rides off into the sunset.”

Eh, we’ll get one more tiny announcement before Labo rides off into the sunset.April 15, 2021

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Nintendo launched the first collection of Labo kits back in April of 2018, but has seemingly failed to find its market. Variety (opens in new tab) reported that in its first year on the market, only about a million Labo kits were sold – compare that to the 12 million units Smash Bros. Ultimate sold in its first month, and you can start to see why Nintendo hasn’t made the cardboard accessories a major focus.

Personally, I have the OG Labo variety kit tucked away in my closet somewhere with half of its contents still unbuilt. Granted, I have the patience of a toddler with a sugar high, but of the things I did build – which all took between an hour and 3 hours – I probably used them for a total of 10 minutes each, on average. Regardless, Labo was a fun and wholeheartedly Nintendo idea, and now it seems its on its way to frolic in the fields of bygone gadgets like the Virtual Boy, R.O.B., and the Power Glove.

These are the best Switch games you can play right now, no cardboard required.