Nintendo has announced they'll be closing the 3DS and Wii U eShops in late March 2023. While the move's been anticipated for sometime, Nintendo doubled down by confirming there's no plans to “offer classic content in other ways,” in a massive blow to games preservation.
As part of the announcement, Nintendo outlined several things, confirming this will be a gradual rollback. Firstly, fans won’t be able to buy any games with their credit card after May 23, 2022, or eShop Cards after August 29, 2022. However, you can still add funds through the official Nintendo website.
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Nintendo are Closing the 3DS and Wii U eShops Next Year
However, players will be able to redownload previously bought 3DS and Wii U games after March 2023. Nintendo also claims that players can still access certain games online for a while, but we'll see how long that lasts.
The 3DS was released back in February 2011, while the Wii U came out a year later on November 18, 2012. While both weren’t the initial hits that Nintendo hoped for, the 3DS eventually became a success in its own right. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the Wii U, which became one of its worst-selling consoles in the company’s history.
If you were planning to purchase some 3DS and Wii U games - or even some Virtual Console titles for retro gaming - now is the time to do so. We'll keep you updated on the closure of these shops and if any changes are made.