Nintendo has officially shut down another game permanently, making it no longer accessible even to players who purchased it. Aliens: Fireteam Elite‘s cloud version on the Switch has been taken offline and can no longer be played. Nintendo had delisted the game from the eShop back in March of this year, and now the servers have been shut down for those who still had access to the game in their Switch library.
Cloud versions of games were somewhat common on the Nintendo Switch. They essentially served as a way for Switch players to access games that wouldn’t otherwise run on the Switch’s hardware by streaming them to the console. The main drawback to these versions of games is made clear by the shutdown of Aliens: Fireteam Elite; even if players purchase the game’s cloud version, it won’t be a permanent addition to their collection.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite’s Cloud Version on Nintendo Switch Has Permanently Shut Down
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Marines battling a Queen Xenomorph in Aliens: Fireteam Elite -
Praetorian Xenomorph in Aliens: Fireteam Elite -
Players who were hanging onto the cloud version of Aliens: Fireteam Elite on Nintendo Switch after it was delisted from the eShop in March 2026 can no longer access the game at all. This shutdown even affects players who had previously purchased the game, meaning their purchase is no longer playable at all. Nintendo has not signaled that it will offer refunds for players who purchased Aliens: Fireteam Elite‘s cloud version, leaving any players who purchased it without the product they paid for.
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Aliens: Fireteam Elite is just another example of cloud versions of games on the Nintendo Switch slowly ending service for players who purchased them. Back in June, the cloud versions of the Kingdom Hearts games on Nintendo Switch were delisted from the eShop, with a planned end-of-service date of June 2027. Other cloud-based games on the Switch include:
- Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey – Cloud Version
- Phantasy Star Online 2 Cloud / New Genesis Cloud
- Control Ultimate Edition – Cloud Version
- Hitman 3 – Cloud Version
- A Plague Tale: Innocence – Cloud Version
- The Forgotten City – Cloud Version
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Cloud Version
- Kingdom Hearts – HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMix – Cloud Version
- Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue – Cloud Version
- Kingdom Hearts 3 – Cloud Version
- Edge of Eternity – Cloud Version
- Thymesia – Cloud Version
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous – Cloud Version
- A Plague Tale: Requiem – Cloud Version
- Resident Evil Village Cloud Version
- Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Cloud Version
- Resident Evil 2 – Cloud Version
- Resident Evil 3 – Cloud Version
- Dying Light 2: Stay Human – Cloud Version
- The Medium – Cloud Version
It seems inevitable that the rest of these games will follow in the footsteps of Aliens: Fireteam Elite and shut down at some point in the future. The impermanence of digital games is a hot topic in the gaming community after Sony announced the end of physical PlayStation game production in 2028. More games being delisted and shut down are driving the pushback from fans against Sony’s decision, though the company still plans to move forward with it at this time.
As for Aliens: Fireteam Elite fans, Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 launches on August 25, but won’t be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 until later this Fall. Thankfully, this release won’t be a cloud version, so it’s unlikely to suffer the same type of shutdown as its predecessor. There hasn’t been any word on a native version of the original Aliens: Fireteam Elite coming to the Switch 2 now that its cloud version has shut down.
- Released
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August 24, 2021
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Cold Iron Studios
- Publisher(s)
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Cold Iron Studios
Source: VGC
