Tweet screenshot about Wii U consoles with Meme Run installed selling on eBay for inflated prices

Meme Run

2014video gamedead

Published September 6, 2026

Meme Run was a 2D endless runner for the Wii U eShop, developed by Ninja Pig Studios and released in December 2014 for $5. The game stuffed in rage comics, Trollface, Lenny Face, and MLG references, drawing scorn from critics but climbing to fifth best-selling on the eShop chart, before Trollface creator Whynne pulled it with a DMCA notice in March 2015.

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Overview

The whole gimmick of Meme Run was packing every recognizable 2010s Reddit meme into a 2D endless runner from Ninja Pig Studios1. Players jumped and dodged obstacles while Trollface, doge, Lenny Face, GET OUT Frog, and Illuminati triangles crowded the screen, with 'swag' and '360 no scope' callouts pulled straight from /r/montageparodies bait3.

Critics panned the platforming as bare-bones and the humor as already stale on arrival, since most of the referenced memes had peaked years earlier2. The gameplay was straightforward jump-and-dodge endless runner mechanics, so the entire pull was the meme parade rather than the design1.

Origin & Background

Platform
Nintendo Wii U eShop / Miiverse (announcement)
Creator
Ninja Pig Studios
Date
2014

Ninja Pig Studios announced Meme Run in September 2014 through the developer's Miiverse account, along with a trailer showing off the side-scrolling gameplay and its parade of internet references4. On December 18, 2014, the game launched on the Wii U eShop at $5.00 alongside Mega Man Zero and other new eShop releases1.

How It Spread

By the end of December 2014, Meme Run had climbed to the fifth best-selling title on Nintendo's eShop, drawing extended coverage from gaming blogs even as review scores stayed negative3.

The run ended on March 3, 2015, when Redditor DerpDino reported on /r/nintendo that the game had vanished from the Wii U eShop, and the following day Oakland artist Carlos Ramirez, better known online as Whynne, posted on /r/Nintendo to confirm he had sent Nintendo a DMCA notice as the copyright holder of the Trollface meme, adding that the removal could be temporary if Ninja Pig Studios worked out a licensing deal3.

Frequently Asked Questions