After the Labo website was seemingly removed and rumours of withdrawal began to circulate, Nintendo has responded with a statement.
Earlier in April, the Nintendo Labo website appeared to have been removed, redirecting to the Toy-Con VR Kit instead. Nintendo insiders on Twitter appeared to exacerbate the rumours of Labo being withdrawn, and various reports in the media suggested the cardboard concept had run its course.
In a Tweet from user Akfamilyhome, it was suggested that it was “safe to say we’re not seeing any more Labo in the future”. They added that “If [Nintendo] just let people share their Toy-Con Garage VR creations online I guarantee you they could’ve had a platform to rival Dreams”, suggesting the lack of direction may cause the kits to be discontinued.
The official North American site for Nintendo Labo at https://t.co/raHOjTVED5 has been taken down and now redirects to the regular store page for the VR Kit.
Think it's safe to say that we're not seeing more Labo in the future 🙁
— Akfamilyhome (@Akfamilyhome) April 15, 2021
A Nintendo insider responded to the tweet, saying Nintendo would “get one more tiny announcement before Labo rides off into the sunset”. Many jumped on this to suggest that a Labo camera for Pokemon Snap could be in the works, but as of yet there is no official news.
Eh, we'll get one more tiny announcement before Labo rides off into the sunset.
— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) April 15, 2021
Speaking to GamesRadar five days after the original Labo link was removed, Nintendo of America said: “Nintendo Labo is available at retail locations. We routinely conduct product website maintenance and reorganization. Information on Nintendo Labo can be found at Nintendo.com.”
As of April 23, Labo product details are available once again on the Nintendo website, but this time through a slightly different link.
Nintendo recently announced another collaboration with Lego, bringing a new starter to the Lego Super Mario kits. The Adventures with Luigi Starter Course is slated to launch on August 1, and will be £49.99. It features 280 pieces, and can be combined with the previous LEGO Super Mario sets.