In February, Nintendo revealed that the Wii U and popular Nintendo 3DS eShops would officially close sometime in 2023, marking the end of purchases. This means gamers can no longer buy any content, including games, apps, wallpapers, themes, and anything else.
However, we have good news. Nintendo is giving users plenty of warning and allowing for downloads. While the Wii U isn’t the most popular console by any means, it still has loyal fans, as does the epic Nintendo 3DS.
This week Nintendo announced an official end date. Both eShop stores will no longer allow paid or free content purchases by March 27th, 2023. That means the closure is still several months away. Those with Nintendo eShop gift cards can redeem them between now and August 29th, 2022.
So, if you’re looking to get an eShop Card (likely at a discount) and load the funds into your account to purchase games and goods before the shops close, do it while you can. Once those funds are in your Nintendo Account, you have until March to buy or claim any Wii U and 3DS title you want moving forward.
What about updates or downloading games later? According to Nintendo, users can redownload purchased games, DLC, and other content “for the foreseeable future,” and you’ll still receive software updates and be able to play select games online.
With the closure of the eShop, you can expect the price of physical copies to rise in the coming weeks and months. So, if you’re a big Wii U fan, get what you want while you can.
via The Verge
