Nintendo’s Jump Rope Challenge to Remain on Switch eShop ‘Until Further Notice’

Nintendo has changed course and will not be removing the free download of Jump Rope Challenge on Switch on September 30, 2020, as originally planned, and stated that it will remain on the eShop “until further notice.”The news was announced by Nintendo on Twitter alongside it revealing that players have performed 2.5 billion total jumps since Jump Rope Challenge’s launch in June 2020.

Jump Rope Challenge has players grabbing their Joy-Con and using them to jump rope virtually and working to get a high score as hopping bunnies. It boasts simple menus and no long tutorials, ensuring players can get into the fun with little barrier to entry.

This free game was created by a small group of Nintendo developers who were working at home following the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to “add some quick and fun movement into their daily lives.”

This decision by Nintendo, while not necessarily a sign of things to come, may be a glimmer of hope for other Nintendo games with a planned limited release, including Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Super Mario Bros. 35.

Super Mario 3D All-Stars collects Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy in one collection. It’s available now, but Nintendo has said it will have a limited physical and digital release until March 31, 2021. It is yet unclear what will happen to these game following that.

Super Mario Bros. 35 is a battle-royale like competitive version of the original Super Mario Bros. that is also reminiscent of Tetris 99. It will be available on October 1, but is currently set to be available to download until March 31, 2021.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.