FACT CHECK: Is Nintendo ‘Unavailable’ During The Royal Period Of Mourning For Queen Elizabeth II?

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

An image shared on Facebook allegedly features a tweet showing a Nintendo 2DS console as ‘unavailable’ in the U.K. during the Royal period of mourning.

Verdict: False

The author of the tweet confirmed the image was satirical in nature.

Fact Check:

Queen Elizabeth II died at her Balmoral estate Sept. 8, the BBC reported. World leaders, organizations and even historic landmarks have displayed tributes to the late monarch following her death, according to NPR.

The Facebook image shows a tweet that appears to show Nintendo had shut down their gaming consoles for the Royal period of Mourning.

The image shows a Sept. 11 tweet from user LucasIsPersonal showing a black and white photo of the late Queen along with a message that purports Nintendo will be offline until after her funeral on Sept. 19. “Shouldn’t have bought a 2ds in the UK wtf is this,” the tweet, which has 308,000 likes, reads.

“The U.K. is shutting down Nintendos for mourning,” the post’s caption reads.

Nintendo has not shut down any consoles in the region. No such announcement of a service shutdown appears on Nintendo’s U.K.’s website or its verified social media accounts. Likewise, there are no credible news reports to support the claim.

“Yes, it is satire,” Lucas, the original author of the tweet, confirmed to Check Your Fact via a Twitter direct message. The user said he created the image, which was “intended as a joke,” according to Reuters.

A reverse image search found the photo used in the tweet is from the Royal Family’s official announcement of the monarch’s death. (RELATED: Does This Video Show Queen Elizabeth II Throwing Food To Children?)

While Nintendo U.K. did not shut down its gaming consoles in observance of the Royal period of Mourning, the company did indicate they would not livestream a Sept. 13 Nintendo Direct broadcast out of respect for the Queen via a statement on Twitter.

“I can confirm that the image in the post on social media is indeed fabricated and we have not made any of our devices ‘unavailable’ during the UK National Period of Mourning,” a Nintendo U.K. spokesperson told Check Your Fact in an email.

Misinformation regarding tributes to the Queen have circulated on social media following her death. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim suggesting a memorial for the Queen appeared on a McDonald’s kiosk.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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