A few months after the initial announcement from Nintendo, the company has now revealed the final date for the closing of the eShop on Nintendo Wii U and 3DS, officially signifying an end of an era of two console generations’ worth of titles. Players will have until March 27, 2023, to continue using the eShop on both of these consoles, after which it will be closed off for further purchases. However, Nintendo did mention a couple of other things worth noting if you have a ton of games bought via the online service.
First up, all purchases relating to the eShop on both platforms will cease to operate, including base games and DLCs. Also included in this move are the free demos for certain games as well as all free content that was made available for both platforms. Earlier this year, Nintendo has already blocked the use of credit cards to add funds to your eShop wallet on both platforms. On August 29, 2022, Nintendo will also kill off the adding of funds via eShop cards. This is something to consider if you still have a bunch of them lying around.
If you have your Nintendo Network ID account (used on 3DS and Wii U) linked to the current Nintendo account (used for Switch), you may still continue to purchase games on the 3DS and Wii U eShop until March 27, 2023, after which you can only use the shared account balance for the eShop on Switch.
For preservationists who care about these games disappearing forever, don’t fret. In the same post, Nintendo assures players that the games they have purchased on the eShop for 3DS and Wii U will still be re-downloadable “even after March 27, 2023 and the foreseeable future.”
The post ends on a somewhat nostalgic and positive note as Nintendo also affirmed the 3DS and Wii U’s huge part in the company’s history. You can check out your journey with these consoles via a new site that features various play statistics you have earned on both platforms over the years.
