
It didn't take me long to figure out what had happened.īack in April of 2020, 300,000 Nintendo Accounts were compromised in an attack that used old passwords from the defunct Nintendo Network ID account system.

The only option Nintendo offered was a "sign out" button, effectively showing me the door. In an instant, I'd lost access to hundreds of dollars worth of digital games. Nintendo had banned my account, effectively locking my Switch out of accessing any online service - including online play, new downloads and even my existing game library.

I logged into my Nintendo Account from a web browser and confirmed my worst fear.

My Nintendo Switch said "an error caused the download to be suspended." That the "purchasing Nintendo account could not be used."
