When Nintendo releases updates for its games, it can often be an exciting turn of events for the company’s loyal fans. Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ recent free update that provided visual upgrades and more was a perfect example of that. However, the company has warned that an upcoming update could disappoint some fans if they don’t act first.
Why Nintendo Is Warning ‘Kirby Air Riders’ Players About Saved Game Data
On January 20, 2026, Nintendo Life published an article about an upcoming update for Kirby Air Riders on the Switch 2. The outlet revealed this is likely to be the game’s final update, as they previously reported that its development team is disbanding. Based on a translation of a post from Nintendo’s Japanese support account on X, @nintendo_cs, it has been revealed that the update could negatively impact unprepared players. At the time of publication, the social media post is the only way this information has been shared through the company’s official channels.
The company’s social media post warned players that when the Kirby Air Riders update is installed after its currently unannounced release date, any replays they have saved will no longer be watchable. While this is a common consequence of game updates, it is important to know about it ahead of time for a simple reason. Since users can value the replays of previous moments of them playing the game, this news could be deeply upsetting for some if they don’t take action soon.
[Kirby Air Riders]
An update will be released soon. It will fix bugs and include balance changes.
Old replays will be incompatible with the update. Nintendo recommends converting any replays you want to keep to a video file (microSD Express card required). https://t.co/NF8ZdZOaEA
— OatmealDome (@OatmealDome) January 20, 2026
Fortunately, Nintendo’s social media post provides guidance for how players can avoid losing their saved replays if they act before the update installs, although a MicoSD Express Card is required. After navigating to the replay playback screen, in Temporary Saved Data or Replay with Data, and finding the clip they want to keep, players must select “record.” Then, they will be able to convert and transfer that file to the MicroSD Express card. It is important to note that the MicroSD cards that were compatible with the original Switch console can’t be used to save these files, as the Express ones are designed to handle the high-quality Switch 2 videos without glitches.
How the New ‘Kirby Air Riders’ Update Improves the Game Experience
Even though the Kirby Air Riders update could have troubling implications for some players, there are good reasons why it is being released. Nintendo Life’s article about the release reveals that, based on the same post, the upgrade will include bug fixes and balance adjustments. While that isn’t as eye-catching as when new game content is released, it could be argued that updates that fix problems with the game experience are more important.
When Kirby Air Riders was released in November 2025, GameSpot published a review that sang the game’s praises. While writing about the game, which is a sequel to the 2003 GameCube title Kirby Air Ride, the reviewer especially noted how great it is from a multiplayer standpoint. “Aside from Splatoon 3, this might be Nintendo’s slickest implementation of multiplayer to date.” The review ultimately gave the game an 8/10 score due to the multiplayer and other factors, like simple mechanics, versatile gameplay, and having a variety of modes and challenges. The main drawbacks the review cited were that its two-button inputs can feel “needlessly restrictive,” and “some minor annoyances in Road Trip that lead to some unfair encounters.”
