ShareThis
Another aspect of the Wii U and 3DS family of game systems is coming to an end. This time, it’s both consoles’ ability to connect and play games with other people online. The closure is expected to occur in early April of 2024. Nintendo made the announcement via its Customer Support page. You can read the announcement in its entirety down below:
Thank you very much for supporting our products.
In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS* and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution.
You can find more information about badges for decorating the Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu using Nintendo Badge Arcade here.
We will announce a specific end date and time at a later date.
Please note that if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned.
We sincerely thank players for using the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software over a long period of time and apologize for any inconvenience.
* This includes software exclusive to New Nintendo 3DS.
Fans will certainly have some followup questions to this announcement, many of which Nintendo has preemptively responded to thanks to a quick Q&A. Some key takeaways from that Q&A are:
- Updates and ability to redownload purchased software will continue to be offered “for the foreseeable future.”
- Some third-party games will continue to offer online play following the closure, but Nintendo says to look to specific publishers to find out which games this might include.
- The Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter services will continue to function for now, “but that may also end at some point in the future.”
Yet another blow to game preservation and likely source of consternation for the millions of 3DS and Wii U owners out there. What say you, reader? What do you think of this latest service shutdown from Nintendo? Let us know in the comments and on social media!
