Until now, we didn’t know when the Japanese company would end the online shop for its desktop platform, which has been a colossal failure after the Wii, and its handheld, which chased PlayStation out of the handheld market.

Nintendo has said it will kill the eShop for the Wii U and 3DS at the end of March 2023, but the big N has now said that it will do so on March 27. As a reminder, here’s what we wrote in mid-February, as already then, Nintendo recapped everything: “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’s 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, redeeming download codes will still be possible 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 credit 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 on 3DS, or buying passes in Wii Sports Club. Even after late March 2023, and for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and downloadable content, receive software updates, and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

Thank you for supporting Nintendo eShop on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. While we hope that you will continue to enjoy using these systems, we have taken this opportunity to prepare a website where you can look back on your time with them via various play statistics. Please visit this page.”

And now, the FAQ portion: “This [shutdown] is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time. We provide this notice more than a year before the end of purchases, so users will have plenty of time to prepare. Are any other services or functions of Wii U or the Nintendo 3DS system will be discontinued, such as online play? There are no plans to make any further changes at this time. There are still Nintendo eShop Cards at retailers that show the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS logos. What will happen to them? These cards will continue to be at retail while supplies last. All Nintendo eShop Cards can be used to add funds to a Nintendo Account balance for use on the Nintendo Switch. It can be done via Nintendo eShop on the system itself.”

So after that, you can’t buy new content, so make sure to get everything you want.

Source: Gematsu