The Wii U & 3DS eShops are closing in March 2023, Pokemon Bank becoming free-to-use

Nintendo’s Wii U and 3DS eShops have been active for a decade now. However, that is unfortunately about to change. Nintendo has announced earlier tonight that “as of late March 2023, it will no longer be possible to make Nintendo eShop purchases for the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems”.

Nintendo also says that “even after late March 2023, and for the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to re-download games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems”. This will include Pokemon Bank, which will become free-to-use after March 2023. However, if you do not already have it downloaded on the handheld, it will no longer be available to download from the 3DS eShop.

So, why are these two eShops closing? According to Nintendo, it is because it is “part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time”. They also state that, “at this time”, they do not plan to make any changes to services or functions of the 3DS and Wii U. Nintendo’s official tweet relaying the matter is down below.