Wii U and 3DS eShop will close in March 2023, Pokemon Bank will be free to use

Nintendo’s Wii U and 3DS eShops have been active for a decade. Unfortunately, however, this is about to change. Nintendo announced earlier this evening that “starting late March 2023, the Nintendo eShop will no longer be available for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS series systems”.

Nintendo also said that “even after late March 2023, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates, and enjoy online gaming on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS series systems for the foreseeable future.” This will include Pokemon Bank, which will be free to use after March 2023. However, if you haven’t downloaded it on your handheld, it will no longer be available for download from the 3DS eShop.

So why are both eShops closed? According to Nintendo, that’s because it’s “part of the natural life cycle of any product line, as consumers use it less and less over time.” They also said that “at this time,” they don’t plan to make any changes to the service or functionality of the 3DS and Wii U. Nintendo’s official tweet relays the matter below.