Nintendo killing online support for Mario Kart Wii, Super Smash Bros. Brawl in May

Nintendo announced overnight that as of May 20, the company will end online functionality for a host of Wii, DS, and DSi games--including high-profile titles like Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Of course, you can still play the games in their offline mode, but you won't--come May 20--be able to play online or access leaderboards.

Wii Speak and the Wii Speak Channel are also affected, as they require an Internet connection.

Online play for Wii U and 3DS games is unaffected (outside of the Wii mode on Wii U and DS games played on 3DS). Other online functionality, including access to the Wii Shop Channel, the Nintendo DSi Shop, and video-on-demand services like Hulu and Netflix, is also not affected.

"We at Nintendo sincerely thank our fans for their continued support of our company's legacy systems," Nintendo said in a statement. "Your enthusiasm for games made for these systems speaks to their longevity, and the passion of Nintendo fans."

Though the closure of online support for games might come as a headache for some players, sunsetting online services for aging titles is nothing new and it is not a practice conducted exclusively by Nintendo. Publishers often need to end online support for older titles so their IT staff can focus on supporting new games, which need more attention.

A full list of affected titles is below.

Nintendo DS

• 100 Classic Books
• Animal Crossing: Wild World
• Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
• Clubhouse Games
• Custom Robo Arena
• Diddy Kong Racing DS
• Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
• Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
• Fossil Fighters: Champions
• Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
• Mario Kart DS
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem
• Metroid Prime Hunters
• Personal Trainer: Walking
• Picross 3D
• Picross DS
• Planet Puzzle League
• Pokémon Black Version
• Pokémon Black Version 2
• Pokémon Diamond Version
• Pokémon HeartGold Version
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
• Pokémon Pearl Version
• Pokémon Platinum Version
• Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs
• Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
• Pokémon SoulSilver Version
• Pokémon White Version
• Pokémon White Version 2
• Professor Layton and the Curious Village
• Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
• Professor Layton and the Last Specter
• Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
• Star Fox Command
• Style Savvy
• Tenchu: Dark Secret
• Tetris DS
• WarioWare DIY
• Nintendo DSiWare
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!
• Metal Torrent
• Number Battle

Wii

• Animal Crossing: City Life
• Battalion Wars 2
• Endless Ocean
• Endless Ocean 2: Adventures of the Deep
• Excitebots: Trick Racing
• Fortune Street
• Mario Kart Wii
• Mario Sports Mix
• Mario Strikers Charged
• Pokémon Battle Revolution
• Samurai Warriors 3
• Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
• Super Smash Brothers Brawl
• Wii Music
• WiiWare
• Dr. Mario Online RX
• Excitebike: World Rally
• LONPOS
• Maboshi's Arcade
• My Pokémon Ranch
• ThruSpace
• WarioWare DIY

Other

• Wii Speak
• Wii Speak Channel

Eddie Makuch is a news editor at GameSpot, and you can follow him on Twitter @EddieMakuch