Nintendo is planning to discontinue the Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. According to the official website, it will no longer be possible to make purchases in Nintendo eShop for the Wii U system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems as of late March 2023. It will also no longer be possible to download free content, including game demos.

In addition, as we get closer to March 2023, the following services will shut down as well:

• As of 23 May 2022, it will 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 29 August 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, it will still be possible to redeem download codes 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 balance can only be used to purchase content for 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.

However, it’s important to note that even after late March 2023, it will still be possible for users to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. It’s just that you won’t really be able to do anything else, including purchasing games.

Why is this happening? Nintendo says that “this is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time.” The Nintendo Wii U was originally released in late 2012, while the Nintendo 3DS initially came out in 2011. It’s been at least a decade or so for both of these consoles.