Nintendo Closing Wii U and 3DS eShop, “No Plans” to Offer Classic Content in Other Ways

Nintendo has announced it is closing its Wii U and 3DS eShop platforms, with no plans for any further content releases in the future. This decision signals a shift away from Nintendo’s traditional console focus towards mobile gaming. The company will continue to support both consoles until 2020 before discontinuing them.

The “nintendo 3ds eshop closing usa” is a recent news article that states Nintendo has decided to close the eShop on both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. There are no plans for them to offer classic content in other ways.

Image credit: Nintendo

Nintendo has confirmed in a support post that the eShop for the aging Wii U and Nintendo 3DS devices would be shut down next year.

Beginning in March 2023, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS users will no longer be able to purchase content from the eShop, a service that Nintendo launched around a decade ago as a primary destination for downloading purchased games and free content such as game demos. Nintendo users have reacted negatively to the closures, particularly in response to a now-deleted portion of a Q&A that revealed there would be no other way to download and own classic games in the future, a seemingly clever way of encouraging gamers to switch to Nintendo Switch Online’s subscription-based model for older titles.

Even after the March 2023 shutdown, eShop customers will be able to redownload bought games and DLC, get software updates, and play online on their Wii U and Nintendo 3DS devices, according to Nintendo, although the eShop will lose key critical capabilities before then. Starting May 23, 2022, users will no longer be able to add funds to their accounts using a credit card, nor will they be able to add funds with a Nintendo eShop Card beginning August 29, 2022. However, download codes may be used until late March 2023.

Wii U & Nintendo 3DS eShop Discontinuation (Nintendo Customer Support)

Users who connect their Nintendo Network ID wallet (for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS systems) to their Nintendo Account wallet (for Nintendo Switch devices) may utilize the pooled balance to buy content on any of these systems until late March 2023. The balance may only be used to buy content on the Nintendo Switch family of devices after that.
The modifications to the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS family of devices will be reflected in apps on these platforms where purchases may be made, such as StreetPass Mii Plaza, Theme Shop, and Nintendo Badge Arcade.
We appreciate your support for Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS platforms. While we hope you enjoy utilizing these systems in the future, we’ve taken this opportunity to create a webpage where you can reflect back on your time with them via different play statistics. Visit https://my-nintendo-3ds-wiiu-memories.nintendo.com/ for more information.

Nintendo Closing 3DS & Wii U Shops In 2023, Has ‘No Plans To Offer Classic Content In Other Ways’ (Kotaku)

This was foreseen by the firm. When the blog article was initially published, it was accompanied by the following conversation in a FAQ:

Many iconic titles for previous platforms will no longer be accessible for purchase once the Nintendo eShop on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of devices is no longer available. Will you make vintage games accessible for purchase in any other format? If not, why not? Isn’t Nintendo responsible for preserving its vintage games by making them accessible for purchase on a regular basis?

Over 130 vintage titles are presently accessible in increasing libraries for different legacy platforms throughout our Nintendo Switch Online subscription tiers. New features, such as internet play, are often added to the games.

This, we believe, is an excellent method to make old material accessible to a wide variety of gamers. New and long-time players may discover not just games they remember or have heard about, but also additional enjoyable games they would not have thought to look for otherwise in these libraries.

We have no plans to publish old material in any other format at this time.

“We presently have no plans to distribute classic content in other ways,” is a depressing statement to read, since a subscription-based model is never an acceptable substitute for buying a game.