Nintendo shut down the servers for the 3DS and Wii U earlier this week, essentially killing players' abilities to trade Pokémon in games like X&Y and Sun & Moon or queue up for online matches in Super Smash Brothers 4.

As is often the case when Nintendo takes something away, some fans have attempted to engineer a workaround via software that would allow players to access online services for titles on the 3DS and Wii U.

The service is called "Pretendo," which bills itself as "a free and open source replacement for Nintendo's servers for both the 3DS and Wii U, allowing online connectivity for all, even after the original servers are discontinued."

While this certainly sounds nice for fans who want to keep playing their old games online, some are worried that it could get popular enough that the infamously litigious Nintendo, which just killed the beloved Switch emulator Yuzu, could step in. Thus, it's understandable that an article by IGN more or less advertising Pretendo has many on social media freaking out.

To be clear, IGN wasn't exactly breaking the news about Pretendo. As the date of the 3DS and Wii U servers shut down approached, "Pretendo" was trending on Twitter for days. Furthermore, those memeing about IGN's article are only drawing more attention to the service, as many pointed out on Twitter / X in recent days.

It's also highly unlikely Nintendo wasn't already aware of Pretendo before IGN published an article about it. Many users posited that, given Nintendo's history of bringing forth cease and desists on anything that could infringe upon its IP, whether popular or not, they've likely been aware of Pretendo for months.

As for whether Pretendo is in Nintendo's legal crosshairs or not remains to be seen. While Nintendo did essentially kill Yuzu because that service allowed people to play Nintendo games without purchasing them, Pretendo is merely allowing users to continue playing Nintendo games they've already purchased online.

That said, there's no telling what Nintendo could decide to do with regards to Pretendo, so those hoping to get in a few more For Glory sets in Smash 4 had better get them in while they still can.