Nintendo Will End eShop Purchases For Wii U And 3DS Next Year

Nintendo announced that eShop purchase on Wii U/3DS will cease next year. 

In particular, it won’t be possible to purchase eShop games on the two consoles starting in March 2023. Digital game preservation will suffer as this means that once it is implemented, you can only purchase physical games from the Wii U/3DS. Previous digital storefront closures such as these are a warning sign that the prices for physical games are likely to rise. 

“It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos,” Nintendo writes on its website. “As of August 29, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. However, it will still be possible to redeem download codes until late March 2023.” 

No changes are planned for the eShop on Switch consoles as a result of this, of course (although wouldn’t it be nice if Nintendo could bring Wii U games and 3DS games to the Switch eShop somehow). 

“Even after late March 2023, and for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems,” Nintendo’s website reads. “We thank you for supporting Nintendo eShop on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.” 

Nintendo’s Q&A about the announcement says this is happening because it “is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time” and that it is “providing this notice more than a year in advance of the end of purchases so users will have plenty of time to prepare.” 

What’s especially unfortunate about this news is that there are many games still only playable on these consoles, such as Xenoblade Chronicles X, which is stuck on the Wii U considering it hasn’t been ported to Switch like Xenoblade Chronicles. The Wii U eShop will soon close, and the cost of Xenoblade Chronicles X physical copies will go up. It will also make it more difficult to find the game and play it. You can still get it while you wait. look at your Wii U and 3DS memories to see some highlightsFrom your time spent on these consoles. 

You can read this article while waiting for March 2023. Game Informer’sCheck out the list of top 10 Wii U games and then go to this page. Game Informer’sHere’s a list of 10 top games for 3DS. Listen to the episode of All Things Nintendo to hear your hosts talk about which Wii U games should be coming to Switch by 2022. 

What do you think about the announcement? Please comment below.