Notable video game company Nintendo "announced" on Friday that all of its Nintendo Wii consoles will self-destruct in 2023. Though the update shocked many, the story was broken by the satirical news outlet Hard Drive Magazine, who fooled many meme creators over the weekend after the humorous fake headline trended.

Nintendo Announces All Still-Functioning Wiis Will Self Destruct in 2023https://t.co/thB96G4Ag5

— Hard Drive (@HardDriveMag) March 5, 2022

Aided by a perfect mix of nostalgia, notoriety and plausible believability, Hard Drive Magazine imagined a world where the Wii had become so innocuous that they'd self-destruct in 2023 out of pure un-necessity. The article cited multiple fake Nintendo representatives such as Doug Bowser, President of Nintendo of America, and Gordon Hall, a concerned Nintendo fan, who said, "Nintendo literally seems like it’s doing everything it can to alienate every fan of theirs."

Although the story was obviously faked, it still proved to be meme gold for many creators on Twitter who posted about it as if it was real. Many made ironic explosion jokes or referenced apocalyptic scenarios similar to December 21st, 2012, that might be set off if someone tried to play Mario Kart or Brawl. Others were concerned by how many people bought into the story, believing it wholeheartedly and being genuinely upset about it.

this happened to my friend jeff and his gamecube, the worst part was that he was in a hotel so the whole building exploded and everyone in the building were at least injured, some dying.

— Jay (@jayvoru) March 7, 2022

"time to play some Mario Kar-" pic.twitter.com/Waw6xGt7R0

— ct (@cockpittt) March 5, 2022

Either the intelligence of the gaming public is at an all time low or Nintendo is just THAT bad cuz I can totally see them doing this

— some dude with internet (@massevbeeniss) March 6, 2022

"Hey, do you want to play Mario kart on my Wi…" pic.twitter.com/35FZwnMd0r

— Dante A. Drake (@DraykosHelmwige) March 5, 2022

Me looking at all my trophies in Brawl, reminiscing about the good old days https://t.co/Kv7dsoMJGv pic.twitter.com/y7A5501KDt

— Colin (@IntroSpecktive) March 6, 2022

It’s finally real https://t.co/EapAuRQNNF pic.twitter.com/9KOnIQz6ub

— GamesCage – Hype Guy (@OnTheDownLoTho) March 6, 2022

Me when I boot up Mario Kart Wii on January 1st 2023 https://t.co/D0bYAMT4Uu pic.twitter.com/TN2ecajmwm

— ExpandDong (@ExpandDong15) March 6, 2022

Wiis on January 1st 2023 pic.twitter.com/TTKm98RsuP

— Koichi (@KoichiH81778226) March 6, 2022

Is that a threat?!

— Joey (@josephshortino) March 5, 2022

The Wii has always been one of the most meme-worthy consoles, partly due to its massive prevalence but also because of its control scheme that was revolutionary at the time. Its name, the way it's shaped and its surprisingly good repertoire of games has turned the Wii into a pop culture reference ripe with irony. This fake news story has become one of the more wholesome examples of the overarching term.