Nintendo eShop struggles amid Monster Hunter Rise demo release Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Nintendo eShop struggles amid Monster Hunter Rise demo release Now down for maintenance. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 8 Jan 2021 14 comments Last night's release of a Monster Hunter Rise demo appears to have crashed the Nintendo Switch eShop. The trial version of Capcom's upcoming beastie basher was released at midnight last night, following a Nintendo Direct full of juicy new details about the game. Switch owners reported struggles trying to download the demo overnight, and this morning the Switch eShop is currently unreachable in the UK. At the time of writing, attempting to connect to the eShop brings up the following message: "The server is currently undergoing maintenance. We apologise for the inconvenience. Please try again later. "See the Nintendo Support website for more information on server status and maintenance schedules: support.nintendo.com/switch/error" The Nintendo Switch eShop error message currently shown. As Monster Hunter fan Matt Wales wrote yesterday, Monster Hunter Rise is due out on 26th March - making this a nice early peek at the game for fans. It contains a Basic Training Quest, walking players through the basics of the new grapple-like Wire Bug mechanic, plus a Wyvern Riding Training Quest, introducing a freshly announced new feature - enabling players to hook themselves onto the back of large monsters with iron silk and control their movement, even attacking other creatures in battle. And once the basics have been mastered, players can attempt some actual monster hunter. There's a Beginner Quest, tasking them with slaying a Great Izuchi, and an Intermediate quest, which sees the return of Monster Hunter Generation's wonderful bubble dragon, Mizutsune. These can be played either solo or co-op via local/online play. The demo is currently set to expire on 31st January - hopefully the eShop is back online by then. Watch on YouTube Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store