Nintendo has announced that it will be shutting down services for its 3DS and Wii U platforms in early April 2024. This decision marks the end of an era for two of the company’s most iconic gaming systems.
Both the 3DS and Wii U have played crucial roles in Nintendo’s gaming evolution. Several services, including online cooperative play, internet rankings, and data distribution, will soon go offline. Additionally, Nintendo will discontinue the Nintendo Badge Arcade, a feature that allows users to personalize their Nintendo 3DS home menu.
While Nintendo plans to halt online play for these consoles, it will keep the Pokémon Bank cloud storage service running. However, the company hinted at a potential future end for this service too.
These new discontinuations come after both platforms were removed earlier this year from Nintendo’s eShop, which ended digital purchases and downloads for a vast library of games.
What this means for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U gamers
Even though the eShop discontinued most services for these platforms in March, Nintendo will still allow players to redownload their previously purchased games and receive software updates “for the foreseeable future.” This commitment ensures that players can continue to enjoy their favorite titles, albeit without online features.
For players who cherish these platforms, though, now would be a good time to preserve gaming history and secure any final content before the shutdown in 2024.
Nintendo’s decision highlights the industry’s ongoing evolution and the challenges companies face when juggling new tech with older platforms.
