Nintendo Will Shutter Its Wii U and 3DS eShops in Early 2023
Barring gamers from purchasing any new content.
Nintendo will shut down its Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShops next year, making it impossible for gamers to purchase new content on the consoles after March 27, 2023. The company has been eyeing a future date to phase out the Wii U and 3DS eShops for some time and has now published an official notice.
As the date draws closer, Nintendo said that services related to the eShops will also cease to function. The cutoff date for users to add new funds to their eShop account will arrive much sooner. At the end of August, it will no longer be possible for funds to be added to accounts for Wii U or Nintendo 3DS. The company recommended that console owners use up their remaining balance before March 2023.
Thankfully, these changes won’t affect the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch. Even after March 2023, gamers on the impacted consoles will still be able to redownload content they already own and existing software updates.
As for what they won’t be able to do, in addition to being barred from buying any paid content, gamers won’t be able to download demos or free-to-start software. They’ll also be cut off from the free themes on the Theme Shop.
In other gaming news, Sony has acquired the esports tournament platform Repeat.gg to bolster PlayStation’s influence.
