Popular Nintendo Switch Game “Cooking Mama” May Be Mining Cryptocurrency

Last weekend, a rather interesting Twitter trend caught our eye. It revolved around the most recent release of Cooking Mama: Cookstar for the Nintendo Switch. The game was made available for download on the Nintendo eShop but was quickly taken down. Even more peculiar is that those who managed to snag a copy of the game have reported some strange issues. A few have reported an abnormal spoke in internet traffic coming from their Nintendo Switch. Others have reported a decrease in battery life and even overheating. Many have speculated that this could indicate that the game is inadvertently utilizing the console’s hardware to mine cryptocurrency. However, it has been heavily denied by the game’s publisher.

Cooking Mama and blockchain integration

Cooking Mama, the popular cooking simulator, gained popularity in the mid-2000’s with each release on Nintendo’s handheld consoles. With 5 main titles and multiple spin-offs, Cooking Mama: Cookstar is the 6th official title in the series. It was first leaked in the summer of 2019 and slated for release in March 2020.

In a 2019 press release, the game’s publisher announced that Cooking Mama: Cookstar would implement blockchain technology into its code. According to the publisher, the original idea of using blockchain technology was intended for players to trade in-game assets. However, the idea was abandoned and never made it into the final product.

Various Twitter users also report that no code related to blockchain or cryptomining can be found in game. Cookstar can also be played offline, which is contrary to what many believed to be an online-only game. The option to play offline makes cryptomining impossible.

Nintendo Switch owners breath a sigh of relief

Unlike other cryptomining attempts in the past, it looks like those who managed to grab a copy before it was taken offline don’t have anything to worry about. With no evidence of any code related to blockchain tech found in the game, it looks like this is none other than a false rumor. While there hasn’t been any official announcement as to why it was pulled from the eShop, Screen Rant reports that it was a result of a legal battle between the publishers and the IP holders. The overheating issues caused by the game, however, have still not been solved.

We here on the CoolWallet team would like to believe that the game was perhaps released too early, resulting in some unpatched bugs making it unstable. For the time being though, it looks like we’ll have to wait a while longer to get our hands on some new cooking action. Besides, there are a slew of other great games to pass the time while we’re all isolating and social distancing ourselves from COVID-19! Stay safe out there, friends.