After over ten years of life, Nintendo is shutting down the eShops for the 3DS and Wii U. This will prevent gamers from purchasing new digital games on either platform. The change goes into effect on March 27, 2023.
According to a recent statement by Nintendo, “this is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time. We provide this notice more than a year before the end of purchases so users will have plenty of time to prepare.”
All in-game content is affected by this change as well, including the following:
- Nintendo Badge Arcade
- The StreetPass Mii Plaza DLC Games
- 3DS Themes
- Pokémon Bank annual pass
- Passes and DLC for Wii Sports Club’s various sports
This change does NOT affect the Nintendo Switch eShop, as that console is the current system being sold and having titles developed for.
Fortunately, if you own a digital game on the Wii U or 3DS, you can re-download it “for the foreseeable future.” This policy extends to software updates and online play.