Nintendo Disabling 3DS & Wii U eShops March 2023

And yet another era comes to a close soon! Nintendo’s official account just announced that 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, services will gradually become unavailable, such as the ability to add a credit card to the account (May 23, 2022) and the ability to add funds by using a Nintendo eShop card (from August 29, 2022).

In the included FAQ, Nintendo states that this discontinuation of the service is “part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time.” Players will be able to look back on their memories from the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS via a special website. In order to access it, a Nintendo Network ID must be linked to your Nintendo Account.

That is not to say that EVERYTHING will terminate, however. Content can still be redownloaded even after the service is discontinued, but any new content you have yet to add to your library won’t be available anymore. So if you have something you always wanted to add to your 3DS or Wii U backlog, it is strongly recommended to do so now.

You can view the full details via the Nintendo Support page.