Nintendo have confirmed that 3DS and Wii U Online services will shutdown at 4pm PDT on the 8th April 2024.
Nintendo had previously outlined its plans to discontinue 3DS and Wii U Online services in a statement on the company’s support page in October.
Now a new statement from the Mario makers has confirmed when the services will shutdown for good.
‘At 4pm PDT on April 8, 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS* and Wii U software’. The statement continues, ‘This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution’.
Nintendo have once again reiterated that the 3DS and Wii U Online services could terminate sooner ‘if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services’.
Nintendo closed by thanking players for using the services over a long period of time and apologised for any inconvenience caused by the impending shutdown.
Some Functionality Will Remain
As we reported in October, some functionality of the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Online services will remain after the 8th April.
Notably, Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter will remain operational however Nintendo warns users that support for both services may eventually discontinue.
Another service that will survive the shutdown is StreetPass. The social gaming feature proved popular among 3DS players when it launched in 2011, allowing users to unlock in-game rewards and items after passing other Nintendo 3DS players in the real world.
Not so fortunate is the similarly named, SpotPass. SpotPass will cease to exist after the 3DS and Wii U Online services go offline, as the feature requires online communication to function.
Perhaps the brightest silver lining is that 3DS and Wii U players will retain access to previously purchased digital titles and content. Any purchases for games and DLC via the Nintendo eShop will be available for players to redownload for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of the eShop, players will have until the 11th March 2024 to merge any unused eShop funds to their Nintendo accounts. Once merged, funds will become available for use on the Nintendo Switch eShop to purchase new games and content.
So, now you know when the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Online service shutdown will happen, you can mark the date in your calendars and make the most of online functionality for the next couple of months!
