Nintendo To Discontinue Online Services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Software From April 2024

While fans were waiting for an update regarding the upcoming Switch 2, Nintendo announced the discontinuation of online services for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The decision came after a few months of Nintendo announcing the closure of their 3DS and Wii U eShop. While Nintendo will continue the online services, users can still enjoy the games offline. The decision will come into action in early April 2024 but if Nintendo finds it difficult to operate the online services, they might discontinue them before the mentioned date.

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Nintendo To Discontinue Online Services for Nintendo 3DS And Wii U

The devices that will be part of the decision are as follows: Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS XL, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 2DS, Wii U Deluxe, and Wii U Basic. Nintendo will share the exact end dates and times in the near future. The official statement reads:

In early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. This also includes online co-operative play, internet rankings, and data distribution.

While users won't be able to play online multiplayer modes and access the internet rankings, they can enjoy the games they own offline. Users don't have to worry about not having access to updates since players can download updates and redownload owned games even after the service is taken down.

Please note 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.

Pokemon Bank users can breathe a sigh of relief as the change won't affect them. Nintendo states, "It will still be possible to use online services for Pokemon Bank, but that may also end at some point in the future." As of now no other details have been shared.