Fire Emblem’s inaugural title is coming to Switch “for a limited time” [UPDATED]

[UPDATED 12/13/20] Now that the game is out Nintendo has provided the delisting date for Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light. March 31st, 2021 is the day the game will be removed from sale across Australian, European, and North American territories. The Watch List calendar has been updated. Our original post from October 22nd follows.

Nintendo has formed a bad habit in 2020 and the nicotine patches and counseling sessions aren’t helping. Tucked way down below the flashy page design and behind the dazzling glow of the physical package is confirmation that Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light will “only be available for a limited time“. That’s right, Nintendo has done it again: announced a new release and, on the same day, confirmed that it will be delisted.

Worse still, in the case of Fire Emblem, we don’t even know how long it will be available for. Given the past examples of Jump Rope Challenge (now indefinitely pardoned), Super Mario Bros. 35, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Fire Emblem will probably be available for a 6-8 month window, but that’s just a guess. Nintendo does what NintenDOES and there’s no stopping them.

As for the game itself, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon & the Blade of Light is the original 1990 Famicom title that launched the Fire Emblem series. This Nintendo Switch release marks the first time that the game has been officially translated into English, and it packs a few gameplay tweaks like save states and rewinds. The game is available to pre-order now for $5.99 and will be released through the eShop on December 4th. Nintendo will also be offering a limited number of physical packages for the game including a gorgeous but ironically transparent NES cartridge in “limited quantities”. It should be noted, this physical version only includes a download code for the game, not a Switch cartridge. Still, it’s a hot chunk of memorabilia for collectors and fans.

For now I’m going to add June 4th, 2021 to the Watch List calendar as a six-month deadline and adjust accordingly whenever Nintendo confirms the official date. Thanks to @RvLeshrac and @Wario64 for bringing the news to our attention.