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What happened when Cookstar appeared on the eShop?
Cooking Mama: Cookstar had been delayed from its planned 2019 release. It briefly appeared on the North American Nintendo Switch eShop on March 26, 2020, then its listing disappeared after only a few hours, according to contemporary reporting. Physical copies also began reaching retailers around the end of March. Nintendo did not initially give a public explanation for the listing’s removal, leaving players to fill the gap with speculation. (Nintendo Wire’s timeline; TechTimes’ report)
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Cooking Mama: Cookstar Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Switch | $29.93 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Cooking Mama Cookstar - For Nintendo Switch | $38.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Cooking Mama: Cookstar (Nintendo Switch) | $33.29 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Cooking Mama Cookstar NSW (Nintendo Switch) | $44.95 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Cooking Mama: Cookstar - Nintendo Switch (EU Version) | $59.94 | Buy on Amazon |
Where did the crypto-mining rumor come from?
A warning first circulated through an unidentified Discord post and then spread on Reddit and Twitter. It claimed that the game used Switch hardware to mine cryptocurrency and might expose personal information. The claim was an online allegation, not an official Nintendo finding. Earlier promotional material had referred vaguely to blockchain technology, which made the warning sound plausible to some readers. But blockchain and cryptocurrency mining are not interchangeable: blockchain systems can serve many purposes, and mentioning one does not show that a released game mines coins. (Nintendo Wire; TechTimes)
Did the released game contain a crypto miner?
No crypto miner was confirmed in the released build. Developer 1st Playable Productions said the final code contained no cryptocurrency, data collection, blockchain, or other “shady” functionality. Contemporary reporting also cited reverse-engineering findings that found no cryptomining or blockchain code. Planet Entertainment separately said blockchain and cryptocurrency had been explored conceptually but were not implemented in Cookstar. These statements and technical reports do not establish what may have appeared in earlier proposals; they address the released game. (Nintendo Life; Nintendo Wire; Planet’s response, reported by Nintendo Wire)
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- Brand new cooking Mama game created for Nintendo Switch.
- All new vegetarian mode
- Over 90 recipes between traditional and vegetarian mode
- Classic recipes and fun new recipes like Unicorn food
- Blend of traditional and motion controls
Why did players report heat and battery drain?
Players did report concerns about battery drain, heat, crashes, and other technical problems. Those performance complaints do not, on their own, show that the game was mining cryptocurrency. An anonymous developer attributed the problems to the game’s Unity implementation and rushed or inexperienced development; that is an attributed account, not a public technical finding. Other contemporary coverage discussed poor optimization as a possible explanation. The available reports do not establish that every Switch, or even every copy, experienced the same symptoms. (Nintendo Life)
What did Office Create say about the delisting?
Office Create, the Cooking Mama rights holder, said it licensed Planet Entertainment to develop a Switch game in August 2018. According to Office Create’s April 2020 statement, it found deficiencies in the game’s feel, quality, and content, and required revisions and resubmission for approval. Office Create said Planet released the game without its approval and that it terminated the license on March 30, 2020. It also said Planet continued advertising and selling the version it considered unauthorized. Those are Office Create’s claims about the contract and events, not a neutral court finding in the statements cited here. (Office Create’s statement, reproduced by Nintendo Wire)
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- Up to 2 players.
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How did Planet Entertainment respond?
Planet disputed Office Create’s account. It said Office Create had approved a detailed game design in 2019, that Planet and 1st Playable followed that design, and that the final game incorporated additional Office Create suggestions. Planet described the disagreement near completion as “creative differences” and said it was within its contractual rights to publish. It also said no litigation or ruling then prevented publication. The two companies therefore presented conflicting interpretations of their agreement; the cited statements do not resolve that dispute. (Planet’s response, reproduced by Nintendo Wire)
Why was a PlayStation 4 version also disputed?
Office Create said it had not licensed Planet—or another entity—to make a Cooking Mama game for PlayStation 4 and had not participated in developing a PS4 version. That was part of the rights holder’s position in the wider dispute. It should not be taken to mean that every physical copy, platform release, or later edition had identical authorization or sales status; those circumstances varied by platform, region, publisher, and time. (Office Create’s statement, reproduced by Nintendo Wire)
Rank #3
- All new vegetarian mode
- over 90 recipes between traditional and vegetarian mode
- classic recipes and fun new recipes like Unicorn food
- blend of traditional and motion controls
- multiplayer and CO OP party games.up to 2 players.challenge mode for expert chefs.share your amazing creations with friends on social media
What happened to Cookstar later?
Later availability was not uniform: the game was reported in some physical or regional contexts, and a later version was published by Ravenscourt. A current secondary summary says the game was removed from sale again after a November 2022 arbitration ruling involving Office Create’s intellectual-property rights, and that it was subsequently associated with the reworked title Yum Yum Cookstar. Those later developments are reported in a secondary source; the primary arbitration record is not established by the cited material, so the ruling’s details should not be treated here as independently verified legal findings. (Current secondary summary)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Can you still play a physical copy?
A physical copy may remain playable offline if you own compatible Switch hardware, but being able to play a copy does not settle the companies’ licensing dispute or establish that a particular regional or later release had the same status. Availability on the eShop, physical retail availability, and legal authorization are separate questions. The crypto-mining rumor is not a sound basis for judging a copy’s legitimacy or safety: the released build was not shown to contain a miner, while technical complaints should be considered separately from the licensing dispute.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- All-new vegetarian mode
- over 90 recipes between traditional and vegetarian mode
- classic recipes and fun new recipes like Unicorn food
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
