Nintendo Wii U and 3DS Eshop Will Shut Down In March 2023

In a stroke of unfortunate news, Nintendo has announced that purchases for the Nintendo Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS eshops will be shut down in March of next year. Nintendo has also confirmed that certain services related to the eshop will cease to function over time this year. The complete statement by Nintendo reads as follows:

“As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make purchases in Nintendo eShop for the Wii U system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos. Furthermore, as this date draws closer, related services will cease to function:

• As of May 23, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a credit card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
• 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.

Users who link their Nintendo Network ID wallet (used with Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems) with their Nintendo Account wallet (used with the Nintendo Switch family of systems) can use the shared balance to purchase content on any of these systems until late March 2023. After that, the balance can only be used to purchase content for the Nintendo Switch family of systems.”

Nintendo has also confirmed that even after March 2023, it will still be possible to play online as well as update and redownload your games and DLCs. On the flip side, users will NOT be able to be ANY content from the eshops of both consoles Post-March 2023. For the 3DS, this includes all paid content, plays, and passes in software such as StreetPass Mii Plaza, Theme Shop, Nintendo Badge Arcade, and Pokémon Bank. On Wii U, this includes passes in software such as Wii Sports Club.

Also, as of right now, there are no plans to make changes to/update the Nintendo Switch eshop.