Support for Wii U and 3DS online store

Nintendo has officially announced the end of eShop support for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. The announcement was made via Twitter tonight, but fans can rest easy knowing there’s still plenty of time to shop: the eShops will both close in March 2023. The news is likely to be a Big disappointment for those who still enjoy playing games on both systems, but hopefully the advanced warning will give users time to make whatever purchases they want before things end!

“From the end of March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make purchases on the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems”, the company wrote on Twitter.

In a post on the company’s website, Nintendo revealed that Wii U and 3DS owners will not be able to add credit card funds to either eShop beginning May 23, 2022. August 29, 2022, users will not be able to add credit from eShop Cards. However, users whose Nintendo Network ID wallet is linked to their Nintendo Account wallet will be able to continue using these funds until the end date. Players will still be able to re-download purchased software “for the foreseeable future,” so users don’t have to worry about not being able to access titles they’ve already purchased.

Unfortunately, digital storefront shutdowns are a major problem for the video game industry. When storefronts like these close, titles that were available exclusively for digital download become completely unavailable to future users. However, it takes time and effort to keep these storefronts up to date and functional, and it’s easy to see why companies like Nintendo ultimately have to cut things. Still, that doesn’t make it easy for fans. after all, there are plenty of games available on the Wii U and 3DS eShops that aren’t yet on Nintendo Switch, including Game Boy Pokemon games, Metroid: Mission Zero, and more. Hopefully Nintendo will take this opportunity to make more of these games available on Switch!

Did you still buy Wii U and 3DS games? Are you disappointed by this news? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk about all things gaming!