After shutting down the 3DS and Wii U eShops earlier this year, Nintendo is now axing their online services as well.
Remember Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS? The games were real system sellers back in their heyday, or at least were the best the Wii U had gotten. Especially their online modes, which were a pretty big step up from the Wii-era Wi-Fi stutter fest improved the experience a lot. For the first time in the franchise's history, you could challenge anyone in the world to a proper No Items, Fox Only, Final Destination match! It felt like the future!
Well, if this has made you nostalgic, you'd better get on reliving those glory days while you still can. That future is now a thing of the past, the Wii U and 3DS are both over a decade old now, and Nintendo has just announced they're putting the final nails in their respective coffins. As of April next year, they are shutting down their online services for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.
This should come as no surprise, as production of new 3DS systems (no, not just new New 3DS systems) stopped around 3 years ago, and just earlier this year the Wii U & 3DS eShops were shut down for good. For better or worse, the systems have been on the way out for a while now, with the Nintendo Switch effectively replacing them in Nintendo's console catalog.
Still, for anyone still using their Wii U or 3DS regularly this is terrible news, because Smash Bros. was far from the only game relying on online support. We'll also no longer have access to features like the entirety of SpotPass, as well as Splatoon's and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate's online multiplayer and Fire Emblem Awakening's Paralogue battles, just to name a few. If you had any interest at all in those features, well, you only have a few more months to experience them, so don't wait too much longer.
Pokémon Bank And Pokémon Transporter Will Be Unaffected
According to the announcement by Nintendo, update data and purchased eShop software will still be available for download. Pokémon fans have a little more time as well, at least when it comes to putting their beloved pocket monsters on a life raft. Pokémon Bank and Poke Transporter won't shut down along with everything else in April, however Nintendo has clarified that even those days are numbered.
The exact date of the shutdown in April has not yet been announced, but we will of course keep you updated.