Nintendo rolls out limited-time Star Fox icons for My Nintendo members

Nintendo has split Star Fox-themed icon elements into four weekly waves for My Nintendo members, starting June 24 and running through July 22. Wave 1 opened at 6:00 p.m. PT on June 24 and runs until 5:59 p.m. PT on July 1, with three more windows following at the same daily cutoff.

Wave 2 runs from July 1 at 6:00 p.m. PT to July 8 at 5:59 p.m. PT. Wave 3 follows from July 8 at 6:00 p.m. PT to July 15 at 5:59 p.m. PT, and Wave 4 runs from July 15 at 6:00 p.m. PT to July 22 at 5:59 p.m. PT. Nintendo says icon elements refresh monthly and tells users to check the Nintendo Switch Online app regularly so they do not miss the next batch.

The promotion is built around account plumbing as much as nostalgia. Nintendo’s support materials say redeeming the icon elements requires an active Nintendo Switch Online membership and a Nintendo Account, and the rewards are offered as custom user icons for Nintendo Switch Online users. That makes the campaign a small but steady retention device: members return to the app, spend My Nintendo Platinum Points, and stay inside Nintendo’s own ecosystem rather than drifting away between major releases.

The timing also lines up with a new Star Fox release on Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo describes the game as a cinematic take on Star Fox 64, with fully voiced dialogue, an orchestral soundtrack and a complete visual overhaul. Nintendo’s store page says the game launches exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 on June 25.

For teams inside Nintendo, the value of a promotion like this is in how little it asks of the business while touching several functions at once. Marketing gets a reason to surface a legacy franchise again. Product teams get another recurring reason for users to open Nintendo Switch Online. QA has to keep an eye on redemption windows, membership checks and account behavior across four separate weekly drops. Customer support has to understand the eligibility rules and expiration schedule. The result is not just fan service around Star Fox, but a repeatable format for keeping dormant IP visible, useful and tied to the account layer that now sits underneath Nintendo’s first-party releases.