Nintendo Will End eShop Purchases For Wii U And 3DS Next Year

gameinformer.com:

Nintendo has revealed that eShop purchases on the Wii U and 3DS will come to an end next year. 

More specifically, it will no longer be possible to make eShop purchases on these two consoles after late March 2023. A blow to digital game preservation, once this goes into effect, the only way to purchase games on both the Wii U and 3DS will be physically, and if previous digital storefront shutdowns like this are any indication, those physical game prices are about to skyrocket. 

As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make Nintendo eShop purchases for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. More info: https://t.co/uGoxCcDZ70

“It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos,” Nintendo writes on its website. “As of August 29, 2022, it will no longer be possible to use a Nintendo eShop Card to add funds to an account in Nintendo eShop on Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. However, it will still be possible to redeem download codes until late March 2023.” 

No changes are planned for the eShop on Switch consoles as a result of this, of course (although wouldn’t it be nice if Nintendo could bring Wii U games and 3DS games to the Switch eShop somehow). 

«Even after late March 2023, and for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems,” Nintendo’s website reads. “We thank you for supporting Nintendo eShop on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.” 

Nintendo’s Q&A about the announcement says this is happening because it “is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time” and