Nintendo has confirmed the date online play will shut down on 3DS and Wii U
Nintendo has officially announced the date it will be shutting down online play on 3DS and Wii U.
The company had previously said it planned to end the services in “early April 2024”.
However, in a new message posted on X it has now confirmed that it will happen on April 8 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET / 12am (April 9) GMT .
“Update: as of 4/8, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end service for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software,” the message reads. “Thank you very much for your continued support of our products.”
Nintendo already closed down the eShops for both systems back in March 2023, but players have been able to continue using online services in-game, such as online multiplayer and rankings.
Once this ends on April 8, however, games will only be playable offline. This will particularly impact games with a heavy emphasis on online play, such as the original Splatoon on Wii U.
Players will still be able to play games offline after online services end, and Nintendo notes that Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter will still retain online functionality (presumably since they’re still used by players and use online connectivity as their central mechanic).
Nintendo also stresses that this only relates to in-game online functionality, and that it will still be possible to download update data and redownload purchased software and DLC from the 3DS and Wii U eShops “for the foreseeable future”.
Nintendo closed down the Wii U and 3DS eShops on March 27, effectively making around 1000 digital-only eShop games disappear for good.
The closure also meant the termination of the final systems to support the Virtual Console service. Now the only retro games provided by Nintendo are the ones available on Switch Online’s various apps.
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