Nintendo ending Wii U and 3DS eShop purchases in late March 2023

Nintendo has announced that it will be putting an end to eShop purchases for Wii U and 3DS in late March 2023. It goes without saying, but Switch is not impacted at all by the move.

On May 23, 2022, users will no longer be able to use a credit card to add funds to an eShop account on Wii U and 3DS. Then on August 29, they won’t be able to use an eShop card to add funds. Redeeming download codes will still be possible until late March 2023.

Here’s some additional information from Nintendo:

As of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make purchases in Nintendo eShop for the Wii U system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos. Furthermore, as this date draws closer, related services will cease to function:

– 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 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.
– Users who link their Nintendo Network ID wallet (used with Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems) with their Nintendo Account wallet (used with the Nintendo Switch family of systems) can use the shared balance to purchase content on any of these systems until late March 2023. After that, the balance can only be used to purchase content for the Nintendo Switch family of systems.

No changes are planned for Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo Switch family of systems.

The changes to Nintendo eShop on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems will simultaneously take effect in software on these platforms where it is possible to make purchases, such as StreetPass Mii Plaza, Theme Shop and Nintendo Badge Arcade.

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.

We thank you for supporting Nintendo eShop on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

Nintendo says that it’s ending Wii U and 3DS eShop purchases since it’s “part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time.” However, it wanted to provide advance notice “so users will have plenty of time to prepare.” The company says that there are no plans regarding the discontinuation of other online services for these platforms. Additionally, at least for now, “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 has set up a website where fans can look back on their time with Wii U and 3DS with various play statistics. You can access it here.