Nintendo Announces End of Online Gaming for 3DS and Wii U Consoles

by Annabelle Stephenson
in *FR, *TR, News, xEL, xRS
on 24 January 2024

Nintendo ogłasza zakończenie gry online na konsolach 3DS i Wii U

Nintendo has officially announced the termination of online gaming services for its 3DS and Wii U consoles. The company had previously planned to end these services in “early April 2024.” However, in a new announcement, Nintendo confirmed that the termination will take place on April 8th at 4pm PT / 7pm ET / 12am (April 9th) GMT.

According to the announcement, starting from April 8th, online play and other features that rely on online communication will be discontinued for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. The company expressed its gratitude for the continuous support of its products.

Although Nintendo had already closed the eShops for both systems in March 2023, players were still able to utilize online services in games, such as multiplayer mode and rankings. However, after the online services end on April 8th, games will only be playable in offline mode. Games with a strong emphasis on online gameplay, like the original Splatoon on Wii U, will be particularly affected.

Certain online functionalities, such as Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter, will continue to operate (likely because they are still in use by players and rely on online connectivity as a central mechanism).

Nintendo also emphasizes that this only applies to online features in games, and it will still be possible to download updates and redownload purchased software and DLC from the 3DS and Wii U eShop “for the foreseeable future.”

The closure of the eShops for Wii U and 3DS also marks the end of support for the Virtual Console service. Currently, the only retro games offered by Nintendo are those available on various Nintendo Switch Online applications.

Key Information from the Article:

1. Nintendo announced the official end date for online services on the 3DS and Wii U consoles, which has been rescheduled to April 8th, 2024, at 4pm PT / 7pm ET / 12am (April 9th) GMT.

2. After the termination of online services, games on these consoles will only be playable in offline mode. Games with a strong emphasis on online gameplay, like the original Splatoon on Wii U, will be particularly affected.

3. Certain online functionalities, such as Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter, will continue to operate because they are still used by players and rely on online connectivity.

4. The closure of the eShops for Wii U and 3DS also marks the end of support for the Virtual Console service, and currently, retro games are only available on Nintendo Switch Online applications.

Definitions of Key Terms Used in the Article:

1. eShop – Nintendo’s digital store where games, DLC, and updates could be downloaded for the 3DS, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch consoles.
2. Multiplayer mode – a game mode that allows players to play with others online.
3. DLC (Downloadable Content) – additional content for games that could be downloaded for an additional fee.
4. Virtual Console – a Nintendo service that allowed playing older Nintendo games on newer consoles.