Online Services For Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Will Be Discontinued on April 8th, 2024
Posted on January 24 2024 by Charles Xavier
Nintendo announced yesterday that, on April 8th, 2024, at 4 PM PDT, online services will shut down for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U line of systems. We knew the general timeframe for this suspension late last year, but the exact date and time is now confirmed.
As for what this decision entails, “online play and other functionality that uses online communication” will be terminated. “This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution,” and it applies to all families of 3DS and Wii U systems.
Update: as of 4/8, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end service for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. Thank you very much for your continued support of our products.
Find out more: https://t.co/VdIdewGmB5
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) January 24, 2024
Nintendo also mentioned 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.”
This news also follows with an update that you have until 10 PM PDT on March 11th, 2024 to merge any funds from the Nintendo eShop to a Nintendo account so they can be used on the Nintendo Switch.
In the Q&A section about online services, which you can read in full right here, Nintendo mentions mention that, despite services being shut down, you will still be able to download update data for software, as well as redownload purchased software and downloadable content “for the foreseeable future.” It will also still be possible to use Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter, however, online services for them “may also end at some point in the future.”
This is an end of era that went strong for over a decade. I shouldn’t feel sadness since we knew this was coming, yet I still do. I didn’t have any of the handheld consoles prior to the 3DS, so I was enamored by the 3DS once I got it. I’ll always have good memories of playing online multiplayer with Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and inviting friends to my Fantasy Life world.
While this doesn’t affect most Zelda games on these consoles, it does mean Tri Force Heroes will become basically a paperweight, unless you have an opportunity to play it with local multiplayer.
Are you saddened with 3DS and Wii U online services shutting down? Now that gravity is setting in, are there any online multiplayer games you plan to play before April 8th? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Nintendo
Charles is a Senior Editor at Zelda Dungeon. He is a Visual Development artist focused on enviroments and pitch paintings. Check out his Instagram and Twitter to see his latest artworks, a lot of which is Zelda fan art! His favorite candy is Skittles – he feels the world should know this.
