Today marks the end of the Nintendo eShop for the 3DS and Wii U. This means that Nintendo gamers can no longer purchase games for the virtual console and other titles unless they’re physically available in stores or in the aftermarket.
Nintendo announced last year that it planned to close the Nintendo eShop for both consoles for good and gave users a year to sort out final purchases and subscriptions, including Pokémon Bank, the app that allows Pokémon fans to transfer old generation games to Pokémon Home.
The Nintendo eShop closed at 5pm PT, and will no longer allow users to make purchases or download demo content. Fortunately, this eShop closure only affects the old generation consoles and Nintendo has confirmed on its website that it currently has no plans to close the store for the Nintendo Switch.
Nintendo has confirmed that even after the eShop closure, users will still be able to redownload games and DLC, and receive software updates for their purchased games. If users were unable to fully utilize all the leftover funds in their eShop account, users will be able to link wallets until March 2024.
According to Nintendo, the reason for the store’s closure is because of the low amount of users using the service and reassured that other features like online play will not be removed. It’s still currently unknown how long Nintendo plans to allow users to redownload old purchases for, but for now, making new purchases is something that you can no longer do for the 3D and Nintendo Wii U.
