Nintendo eShop: Wii U and 3DS support is (almost) at an end

The end of an era is approaching: Nintendo turns off the first lights on the Wii U and 3DS eShop, while there is good news for the Pokémon Bank

It was already in the air for some time, but the shutter of Nintendo eShop stands for close his Wii U e 3DS. This was announced by the Grande N itself, giving us time to prepare for the closure scheduled for “late March” 2023. We appreciate the generous notice, with which fans of Switch’s predecessors will be able to better manage the gradual process behind the closure. Support will drop at first credit cards (May 23, 2022)then the one at eShop card (29 agosto 2022) and finally the possibility of register codes (end of March 2023, day not yet specified). Let’s go into detail.

Nintendo eShop: End of an era for Wii U and 3DS… but calmly

Let’s start with the obvious: at the end of March 2023, it will no longer be possible to shop on Nintendo eShop for Wii U and 3DS. This also applies to the free content and the demo. On May 23 of this year, however, we will no longer be able to add funds to our account via credit card on the consoles involved. The same applies to the eShop card from 29 August 2022 onwards. Until the end of March 2023, however, combine your virtual wallets with Nintendo Network ID (which amalgamates the funds of the previous consoles with the money available to you on the Switch) will still be possible.

Serebii Update: Pokémon Bank is to become free to use when the Nintendo 3DS eShop goes offline in March 2023 https://t.co/gDbXkHSvkT pic.twitter.com/lUznDSKfWc

— Serebii.net (@ SerebiiNet) February 16, 2022

The changes aren’t expected on the Switch, of course, but will affect any 3DS software that makes use of microtransazioni, such as the StreetPass Mii Plaza, The Theme Shop, and the Nintendo Badge Arcade. From March 2023 onwards, scratch games, related DLCs and updates will be still possible, and the same goes for the free Wii U and 3DS online. The Kyoto giant has also opened a celebratory site to remind each player who has logged in on their purchases. Not all evil comes to harm: as you can see from the tweet above, whoever downloaded the Pokémon Banking will enjoy the service for free from March 2023 onwards.

Now it’s up to you to tell us yours: what do you think of this dreaded confirmation? Let us know below, and as always don’t forget to stay on TechGameWorld.com for all the most important news for gamers and more. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming.