Nintendo has announced plans to discontinue online services for the 3DS and Wii U in April 2024.
Further details were outlined in a statement on Nintendo’s support page although an exact date that the services will be terminated is yet to be announced.
Nintendo have confirmed that a specific end date and timing will be announced ‘at a later date’.
3DS and Wii U online play, online co-operative play, internet rankings and data distribution are all set to end as Nintendo ceases support next year.
While no exact date has been given for the switch off, Nintendo has provided a caveat 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’.
So, while the services are confirmed to be halted in April, if you have any pressing online service needs, you may want to act on them sooner, rather than later.
Nintendo’s statement concluded with a thank you to players for their usage of the online services of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U ‘over a long period of time’ before apologising for any inconvenience.
Q&A
In addition to the new statement, Nintendo released a Q&A designed to answer some of the most pressing questions that players will have in reaction to Nintendo discontinuing online services for 3DS and Wii U.
Nintendo have confirmed in their Q&A section that players will ‘still be able to use features and game modes that do not require online communication’.
Perhaps alleviating fears from players that games with online components will cease to function after April next year.
Elsewhere in the Q&A, Nintendo have confirmed that online services for Pokémon Bank will continue to function although the Mario-makers stated that those services ‘may also end at some point in the future’.
Software update data and previously purchased software redownloads will still remain for the ‘foreseeable future’, with content downloadable from the Nintendo eShop.
Good news for anyone that picked up some Wii U exclusives earlier this year.
Future StreetPass and SpotPass Support Outlined
As Nintendo lays out its plans to discontinue online services for 3DS and Wii U, surely the biggest question most people have is ‘what about StreetPass’?
For those wondering, Nintendo have confirmed that StreetPass will continue to be available after the online services end as StreetPass uses ‘local communication between Nintendo 3DS family systems’ to function. This is great news for those that took part in StreetPass Revival 2023.
Unfortunately, SpotPass support will end as it functions using the online communication that Nintendo plans to discontinue.
Will you miss the online services for 3DS and Wii U? Let us know what you think over on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
