Good news, physical game collectors! Limited Run Games and WayForward have announced a new print run for the 2014 classic Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse. Available in both standard and collector’s editions, this new print takes on a special meaning in 2024: it will be the final US-produced 3DS cartridge ever.
Available in both standard and collector’s editions, the two versions will both come with a 3DS game case and cartridge (as you would expect). The collector’s edition ups the ante with a double-sided 18” x 24” poster, the soundtrack on CD, a retro GBC-inspired box, three art cards, and a replica GBC cartridge with a stand. The replica cart is not a functional GBC game, however.
Shantae sends off the 3DS in style
Limited Run Games CEO Josh Fairhurst shared on Twitter that this newest run of Pirate’s Curse is quite literally the final game produced on the US 3DS production line. LRG and WayForward had been negotiating to get other 3DS titles available, but it turns out that simply wasn’t possible. Manufacturing of 3DS consoles ceased in the US in December of 2021 and it looks as if Nintendo has quietly sunsetted production of any new cartridges.
This was literally the last game produced on the US 3DS production line, with our cartridge order managing to get to Nintendo at the absolute last possible second (we had to place it through Rising Star in order to make it happen). https://t.co/e3sEmyHkx6
— Josh Fairhurst (@LimitedRunJosh) January 18, 2024
While this technically makes Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse the last official 3DS game, this latest batch of cartridges is a reprint of an older run. WayForward had done a physical version of the game with Rising Star Games in 2014 that now commands a wide range of prices on eBay. Now is your chance if you’d like to have an official version without shelling out an arm and a leg.
Shantae was also a final game for the Game Boy Color
It’s actually quite fitting that Shantae would find herself being the final game released on Nintendo’s last dedicated handheld. The first Shantae was one of the last games officially released on the Game Boy Color in North America. Now, she can continue that trend for the 3DS.
If you’d like to nab a copy, pre-orders for both editions will begin on January 26th, 2024, at 7 a.m. PT | 10 a.m. ET. The standard copy will set you back $34.99, while the collector’s edition will go for $64.99. That’s not so bad for a final send-off.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
