Nintendo Is Shutting Down The Wii U, 3DS eShops By March 2023

Nintendo is about to end an era.

GameSpot reports that the game industry giant is finally taking the eShops for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U systems offline by late March 2023. This means that anybody who wants to buy games for the two classic systems won't be able to once the deadline passes.

Here is the official announcement from Nintendo of America on Twitter:

But before the deadline, any users who still have download codes for the 3DS and Wii U can still redeem them until March of next year. Furthermore, Nintendo also confirmed that users can still re-download any content they already own, and are entitled to get existing software updates.

The only thing getting shut down so far is the ability to buy games from the said eShops.

This news comes after the iconic game company announced several sweeping changes coming to the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Via a post on Nintendo Support, people can no longer use their credit cards to add funds to their eShop accounts on the two old systems by May 23rd.

Another update is that by August 29th, users will also no longer be able to use an eShop card to add funds to their accounts on both systems.

All of these changes to the company's eShop are going to take effect in Japan and the Americas, without any mention of other regions. But as to why Nintendo is doing this, their only reason is that the life cycle of the 3DS and the Wii U have already reached their twilight.

Something weird happened ahead of this announcement, however, writes The Verge. Apparently, the article detailing the changes had a section detailing how many classic games on old systems will no longer be available for purchase. The section seems to have been deleted, but it was said to have mentioned that Nintendo doesn't plan to offer classic content anytime soon."

How Can You Get Games For The Nintendo 3DS And Wii U Moving Forward?

With the eShops for the 3DS and the Wii U now shutting down, some people are now left to wonder where they'll get their classic games from here on out. Pirating games is basically out of the question, due to how intense Nintendo is when cracking down on pirates.

For now, it seems like only digital game purchases will be discontinued for the classic handheld consoles. You can still buy used physical games for the systems from your local game store (should they have any), or even online marketplaces. Amazon still carries physical games for the 3DS and Wii U, for instance.

Will Nintendo Walk Back On Its Decision?

Remember when Sony announced that they're closing down the online stores for the PS Vita, PSP, and PS3? They had to backtrack on their decision after facing intense backlash from customers. From this situation, one might infer that there's a possibility for Nintendo to at least postpone the shutdown of the 3DS and Wii U eShops.

But until that day comes (if it does), consider their announcement as final.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by RJ Pierce