It may not come as a surprise but it will probably still be a shock to some, Nintendo has announced that they will be shutting down the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U eShops come March 2023. It will also not be possible to add funds to the eShops with a credit card after May 23, 2022, and eShop cards will stop working on the eShop come August 29, 2022 (eShop cards will still work on Nintendo Switch though).
The closure of the eShops on the Wii U and the 3DS was to be expected at some point but it seems the time has finally come. If you are still rocking the 3DS or the Wii U, Nintendo states that you will still be able to redownload games and DLC that you have previously purchased and online play will still be supported.
Nintendo’s announcement was made through social media and came with a URL link to the full statement on the Nintendo Support website.
The statement is as follows:
As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make purchases in Nintendo eShop for the Wii U system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos. Furthermore, as this date draws closer, related services will cease to function:
- As of May 23, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a credit card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
- As of August 29, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. However, it will still be possible to redeem download codes until late March 2023.
Users who link their Nintendo Network ID wallet (used with Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems) with their Nintendo Account wallet (used with the Nintendo Switch family of systems) can use the shared balance to purchase content on any of these systems until late March 2023. After that, the balance can only be used to purchase content for the Nintendo Switch family of systems.
No changes are planned for Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo Switch family of systems.
The changes to Nintendo eShop on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems will simultaneously take effect in software on these platforms where it is possible to make purchases, such as StreetPass Mii Plaza, Theme Shop and Nintendo Badge Arcade.
Even after late March 2023, and for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
We thank you for supporting Nintendo eShop on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. While we hope that you will continue to enjoy using these systems, we have taken this opportunity to prepare a website where you can look back on your time with them via various play statistics. Please visit https://my-nintendo-3ds-wiiu-memories.nintendo.com/.
This wasn’t the only announcement Nintendo made either. Following their previous announcement of the eShop closure for 3DS and Wii U, Nintendo have launched a “My Nintendo 3DS & Wii U Memories” website that will display stats of your most played game on Wii U or 3DS. To give you a general idea of what is displayed on the website, I shall share my own stats with you from my time playing Nintendo Wii U.
The 3DS memories page will display similarly to what you can see with the Wii U memories page. I unfortunately, I didn’t get a 3DS until much, much later and have not really played any games on it (I purchased it out of posterity and to have a working model in my collection).
What are your thoughts about the 3DS and Wii U eShops being shut down next year? Will you be checking out the My Nintendo 3DS & Wii U Memories page? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Nintendo America (Twitter)
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