Nintendo was going to close its Wii U and 3DS eShops permanently on March 27th at 5 p.m. PST, but it seems like you’ll have a bit more time. The firm has stated that the possibility to redeem download coupons has been extended till April 3, 2023 at 9:30PM. What’s the reason? “The option to redeem download vouchers was removed sooner than planned,” Nintendo said in a customer service FAQ obtained by Game Developer.
The eShop shutdown were announced in February 2022, and consumers were banned from depositing cash to their accounts on August 29th. The complete closure was scheduled on March 27th, thus it has been delayed by over a week. Following then, you will no longer be able to buy new titles, but you will be able to redownload 3DS and Wii U games for the time being. Any cash left in your Nintendo Network ID wallet will be moved to your Nintendo Account wallet on the Nintendo Switch until March 2024.
As we explained in a previous post, the Wii U and 3DS eShop closures imply that a large library of titles has gone. It was home to several exclusives such as Pushmo, Attack of the Friday Monsters, Dr. Luigi, and more that we may never see again. Nintendo said in a now-deleted FAQ that “we currently have no plans to distribute old material in other ways,” implying that access may soon be confined to preservationists and, sadly, pirates.
