Nintendo has announced that it will be ending support for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShop from late March, 2023. This means that Wii U and 3DS owners have a bit over a year to purchase games, Virtual Console titles, game demos, and apps before those features are gone from those system’s eShop forever.
However, if you need to add funds to your Wii U or 3DS eShop account, then you need to get onto that pretty soon. From May 22, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use your credit card to add funds to your Wii U or 3DS eShop account, and from August 29, 2022, Nintendo eShop Cards will also be invalid for these systems.
You will still be able to redownload games, DLC, and software updates from the Wii U or 3DS eShop past March 2023 for the foreseeable future.
The 3DS and Wii U eShops launched in 2011 and 2012, respectively. It’s sad to see both services discontinued, as there is a range of great titles that are still exclusive to both digital storefronts, as well as a wealth of Virtual Console games that have yet to make their way over to Nintendo Switch Online. Nintendo’s full statement on the matter goes into more detail about exactly why they are making this decision, which boils down to each service not having enough consumer support to justify their continuation.
Are you sad to see the Wii U and 3DS eShops discontinued? What games do you have to buy before it is too late? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
