Nintendo Discontinuing Online Services for 3DS & Wii U in April 2024

Nintendo announced late Tuesday evening that online services for both the 3DS and Wii U will be discontinued in April 2024 (with a specific time and date to be announced later). According to the announcement, “online play and other functionality that uses online communication,” which includes “online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution,” will end for software on both systems next year. The discontinuation will apply to all members of the 3DS and Wii U families of systems, including the Nintendo 3DS XL, New Nintendo 3DS, New Nintendo 2DS XL, and Wii U Deluxe.

Nintendo also noted that “if an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software,” the company may “discontinue services earlier than planned.”

In the Q&A accompanying the announcement, Nintendo Support did clarify that the discontinuation will not apply to software or services that use “local communication between Nintendo 3DS family systems,” such as StreetPass. Such functionality will be available even after online services end.

You can find the full Q&A right here.

While looking at the situation broadly, the suspension of online services on these systems shouldn’t affect their respective Zelda titles too, too much, given the franchise’s identity as a largely single-player affair. The series’ most recent multiplayer adventure, Tri Force Heroes, should be the only Zelda title to be significantly affected; Tri Force Heroes, as well as the 3DS’ Four Swords Anniversary Edition, will still have local multiplayer. The discontinuation will see some of its biggest impacts on Nintendo’s all-star party games like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.

Nintendo has been slowly chipping away at services for 3DS and Wii U over the past few years. Image share and other social media services on both systems came to an end late last year, while eShop functionality was discontinued in March of this year. The Miiverse, which facilitated much of The Wind Waker HD‘s online features, was shutdown way back in 2017.

Nintendo will announce the specific time and date of the discontinuation “at a later date.”

Are you sad to see 3DS and Wii U online services go away? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Nintendo of America

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