Nintendo has revealed that eShop purchases on the Wii U and 3DS will end next year.
More specifically, you won’t be able to buy eShop on these two consoles anymore after the end of March 2023. A blow to the preservation of digital games, when this goes into effect, the only way to buy. games on both the Wii U and 3DS will be physical, and if the closure of previous digital stores like this is any indication, the price of that physical game is about to skyrocket.
As of late March 2023, you will no longer be able to purchase the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS line of systems.
More information: https://t.co/uGoxCcDZ70
– Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 16, 2022
Nintendo writes on website. “As of August 29, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use the Nintendo eShop Card to top up accounts in the Nintendo eShop on the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS system line. However, it is still possible to redeem the download code until the end of March 2023.”
Of course, no changes are planned to the eShop on Switch consoles because of this (though it wouldn’t be nice if Nintendo could somehow bring Wii U and 3DS games to the Switch eShop) .
“Even after the end of March 2023 and for the foreseeable future, it’s still possible to re-download games and DLC, receive software updates, and play online on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS line of systems,” the website says. written by Nintendo. “We thank you for your support of the Nintendo eShop on the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS line of systems.”
Nintendo’s Q&A on the announcement said this is happening because it “is part of the natural life cycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time.” and it “provides this notice more than a year before the end of the purchase so users will have plenty of time to prepare”.
What’s particularly unfortunate about this news is that there are many games that are still only playable on these consoles, such as Xenoblade Chronicles X, which is stuck on the Wii U because it hasn’t been ported to Switch like Xenoblade Chronicles. Now that the Wii U eShop is offline, the price of a physical copy of Xenoblade Chronicles X will skyrocket, and it will be harder than ever to track down that game and actually play it. But hey, in the meantime you can Take a look at your Wii U and 3DS storage to see some highlights from your time on those consoles.
While we wait until March 2023, read on Game informant list of top 10 games on Wii U and then check Game informant list of top 10 games on 3DS. Later, listen to this episode of All Things Nintendo where your hosts discuss Wii U games coming to Switch in 2022.
How do you feel about this announcement? Let us know in the comments below!
