PSA: Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS eShop stores will close on Monday
UPDATE: Closes on 28th March at 1am UK time.
UPDATE 27/03/23: Here are the times when the Wii U and 3DS eShop stores will close:
- PDT – March 27th at 5pm
- EDT – March 27th at 8pm
- GMT – March 28th at 1am
Last chance to snap up those exclusives!
ORIGINAL STORY 24/03/23: Nintendo fans, this is your final reminder that the Wii U and 3DS eShop stores will close on Monday 27th March.
That means this weekend is your last chance to buy any games exclusive to those systems.
Nintendo confirmed the date back in July last year, but it's been quite some time since then.
After Monday, both stores will remain accessible for existing customers to download any previously purchased games or DLC. But new games will no longer be available to purchase.
So what might we lose access to? Digital Foundry has already covered the Wii U store and the games worth saving before the shutdown.
That includes the Zelda HD remasters (Switch ports Nintendo?), platformers like Yoshi's Wooly World and Kirby: Rainbow Curse, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Fast Racing Neo and more.
Over on the 3DS store, there are the likes of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies, the Boxboy! series, Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move, and more. Plus plenty of old Game Boy and DS games to purchase via the Virtual Console. Will we see these on the Switch anytime soon?
Back last year, Nintendo commented on its duty to preserve classic games, though the response was later mysteriously removed from the Q&A. Here’s what it said at the time:
"Across our Nintendo Switch Online membership plans, over 130 classic games are currently available in growing libraries for various legacy systems. The games are often enhanced with new features such as online play.
"We think this is an effective way to make classic content easily available to a broad range of players. Within these libraries, new and long-time players can not only find games they remember or have heard about, but other fun games they might not have thought to seek out otherwise.
"We currently have no plans to offer classic content in other ways."