Nintendo has announced from late March 2023, the Nintendo eShop for both the Wii U and the 3DS family of devices will be discontinued. The company also confirmed from that date it will no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos. Nintendo has reassured fans that despite this news, it will be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and continue to play with friends online on these devices for the “foreseeable future.”
Leading up to the shop discounting in March next year, Nintendo has confirmed related services that will cease to exist. On May 23, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a debit/credit card to add funds to an account on Will U or the Nintendo 3DS. Then on August 29, customers will be unable to add funds to an account on the devices. However, download codes are redeemable until March 2023. In a Q&A detailed on the press release, Nintendo says the store is shutting on these platforms as it is part of the “natural lifecycle” of a product being used less by consumers.
What does the Nintendo eShop being discounted on Wii U and 3DS mean for players with leftover funds?
Nintendo says players who link their Nintendo Network ID wallet on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS with their Nintendo Account wallet on Switch can use shared balance until March next year. Then all remaining funds can only be used on the Nintendo Switch family of devices.
The shuttering of the eShop on the Wii U and 3DS will “simultaneously take effect in software on these platforms”. These include StreetPass Mii Plaza, Theme Shop and Nintendo Badge Arcade. In a Q&A detailed on the press release, Nintendo says the store is shutting on these platforms as it is part of the “natural lifecycle” of a product being used less by consumers.
For fans hoping to reminisce on their Wii U and 3DS playing days, Nintendo has launched a website where you can view playing statistics.
In other news, Cyberpunk 2o77 has recently received a next-generation patch in 1.5. Meanwhile, catch-up on the announcements from February’s Nintendo Direct.
