Nintendo just confirmed that in the March 2023 eShop digital stores of Wii U and 3DS will definitely close their doors. However, by carefully reading the press release of the big N we can find that in truth the store will begin to limit transactions much earlier. Let’s take a look at all the information we currently have on the matter.
Wii U and 3DS: the eShop closes its doors
As we anticipated at the beginning, the gradual closure of the eShop will begin in the next few months, since starting from March 2022 it will be impossible to load credit on the eShops of these two consoles. Here is what we read in the official press release:
“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 29 August 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds to a Nintendo eShop account on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. However, it will still be possible to redeem the download codes until the end of March 2023 ”.
In short, a sad moment, but which did not come without warning. The 3DS turns 11 this year and the Wii U ten, therefore the closure of the stores was now a matter of time. Of course it is still a shame, since these two stores allowed you to buy some Nintendo classics that are now only available through the online service of the Kyoto house.
In short, a real shame, especially if we consider that the alternative now is to subscribe to a service that may not coincide with our habits of use of the Nintendo ecosystem. That said, it is also an inevitable eventuality, probably dictated by the scarce use of the two consoles, which have long since fallen into disuse.