Club Nintendo stuck in Mario Kart traffic

Mike Futter, Game Informer:

While this may be frustrating, I try to see the positive in server issues like this. Nintendo has clearly been successful with its free game offer (and Mario Kart 8 is quite good) as people are crowding in to take advantage of the bonus title. You’ve got until July 31 to claim your game, though. There’s no rush.

Good call.

Since opening my copy of Mario Kart 8 last night (7p PST), I’ve had intermittent success signing in and have yet to redeem my freebie. Login and site navigation still feels sluggish. Still looking forward to my copy of Pikmin 3.

UPDATE: The following message was posted to club.nintendo.com roughly 2 hours ago:

Club Nintendo is currently unavailable due to site maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Remember to hang on to your product registration codes and make a note of your serial numbers - we’ll be back soon so you can register your products.

Please note, it is not necessary to register your hardware to begin your warranty. This is done automatically at the retailer when you purchase your product. However, please check back to register your products for Club Nintendo benefits, including hardware warranty extensions.

Forum users please note, the Tech Support Forums will be in read-only mode during this time. All existing Forum topics, posts, and replies will remain available for those looking for technical assistance with Nintendo products. No new threads or messages can be created until Club Nintendo is back up.

Please try back later.

UPDATE 2: Club Nintendo seems to be back online, still with some spotty maintenance around account management.

UPDATE 3: Pikmin 3 is go.