The Wii U/3DS eShop Closure Makes Another Great Argument for Preservation Efforts
Nintendo has recently announced that it is shutting down the Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS by March 2023. The ability to buy games and DLC with a credit card will end on May 23, 2022, and the ability to redeem eShop cards will cease on August 29, 2022. After March 2023, players will not be able to buy or download new games, in-game content, demos, and free to play games. They will still be able to download previously purchased content after the shutdown for an undisclosed amount of time.
The closure of the Nintendo eShop on Wii U and 3DS is just another example of why video game preservation is needed. Thousands of digital only titles will no longer be able to be accessed, and the virtual console will be inaccessible. All of those titles that developers plunged their hearts into will no longer be accessible by players, only the titles that received physical releases or that have already been purchased will be able to be played.
It's Time to Bring Virtual Console to the Nintendo Switch
Nintendo's decision to close down the Wii U and 3DS eShop is not the first time that it shut down a digital storefront. Nintendo previously shut down the Wii Shop Channel on the Wii back in 2019. Players were no longer able to purchase new titles for the Wii and were only able to re-download previously purchased items temporarily, something that removed access to hundreds of digital only titles.
Nintendo is not the only company that chose to discontinue its storefront. In early 2021, Sony announced that it would be closing the PlayStation Store on PS3, PS Vita, and PSP. This announcement was met with much outcry as players demanded Sony reverse its decision. Sony eventually did choose to keep the PS3 and PS Vita stores alive, but the
Read more on gamerant.com
