Will the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U store close in 2022? That’s the big worry right now from fans, as Nintendo of Japan has announced it will end credit card and electronic money support for the 3DS and Wii U eShop as of January 18, 2022. Does this make the Wii U and 3DS eShop dead? Not quite, but it does mean users will no longer be able to buy anything from the Wii U and 3DS stores as of next year.
Will the 3DS and Wii U eShop close in 2022?
It is entirely possible that Nintendo will close the 3DS and Wii U eShop stores in 2022. The massive popularity of the Switch has left both the Wii U and 3DS completely obsolete, especially considering the release of a new version of the Switch this year and the portable-only Switch Lite. This belief has only been increased by the news that Nintendo of Japan will end all direct methods of buying games other than prepaid Nintendo cards.
「ニンテンドー3DSシリーズおよびWii U内のニンテンドーeショップにおけるクレジットカードと交通系電子マネーのご利用取扱い終了について」のお知らせを掲載しました。 https://t.co/hlGGJIZu3B
— 任天堂サポート (@nintendo_cs) July 20, 2021
Nintendo already did the same to Europe and Australia in 2019, and last year shut down the eShop for Wii U and 3DS in 42 countries and ended the production of the 3DS entirely. All of this doesn’t mean users are unable to buy things on the eShops, but it’s now much harder to do so. Prepaid cards from stores are still accepted, as well as adding funds to a Nintendo account and then linking that to a 3DS or Wii U with a Nintendo Network ID. In other words, the Wii U and 3DS stores aren’t quite being killed off worldwide yet, but Nintendo just took another step towards that being the case.
In other Nintendo news, the publisher has revealed that it has no plans for a proper Switch Pro, despite the upcoming OLED edition lacking 4K support and still having the same level of battery life as the regular Switch.
