Hey everyone, it’s Nuked here! I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now, but Nintendo’s Wii U and 3DS eShops will be shutting down tomorrow, March 27th, 2023. That means you won’t be able to purchase any games or DLC from either store anymore.
But don’t worry! You’ll still be able to redownload any games you’ve already bought and play online for the time being. Plus, Nintendo gave us a heads up about the closure last year, so we had some time to prepare.
What’s really sad is that we’re going to lose around 1,000 digital-only games as a result of the eShop shutdowns. That includes hundreds of great digital-only titles like Dr. Luigi, Pokemon Rumble U, Pushmo, and Pokémon Picross. It also means we won’t be able to buy the full range of Virtual Console games on the 3DS and Wii U anymore.
It’s a big step back for video game preservation. Not only are we literally wiping some games from history, but it will also make it more difficult for people who still own and play the Wii U and 3DS to access certain games even if they are available as physical copies.
I know this is a bummer, but let’s make the best of it while we can! And who knows? Maybe Nintendo will surprise us with something awesome in the future. Until then, take care everyone.