As the saying goes, "everything comes to an end," and the Nintendo eShop for its 3DS and Wii U consoles will begin its gradual closure over the coming months. But if you're still using these systems, don't worry, there's plenty of time to take advantage of any offers that might appear and complete your collection of digital releases for the handheld or home console.
Goodbye to buy in the eShop
That's probably the worst aspect of this decision Nintendo has announced, since the schedule they've designed includes three key dates that explain the process that has just begun. The first is May 23rd of this year, when credit cards (and presumably debit cards as well) will no longer be usable for adding funds to our accounts in the eShops for both 3DS and Wii U.
The second phase will arrive this summer, on August 29th of this year, at which point we will no longer be able to use Nintendo eShop cards to add funds to our account as available balance for future game purchases . In this way, the Japanese company intends for that amount of money to gradually disappear until it reaches zero at the point where it is no longer possible to use those funds at all.
And finally, the third and final date, set for the end of March 2023 , at which point it will no longer be possible to redeem eShop download codes (for games, downloadable content, etc.) and the store's activity will be virtually discontinued. However, those who have unused funds and wish to continue using them must link their 3DS and Wii U accounts to their Switch account to transfer those amounts to the eShop and keep them available should they wish to make any purchases.
And what about shopping?
Despite the unfortunate situation created by Nintendo (it's not the first company to make such a decision, and it won't be the last), users will still have the option to download their games to consoles after the March 2023 deadline. This means that all the progress made will not be deleted and will remain available to players for a long time on their respective Nintendo IDs. Nintendo hasn't specified exactly how long, but for now, it seems that 3DS and Wii U users have been spared the possibility of continuing to use their purchases for years to come.
It's clear that measures like the one taken by the Japanese bring the problem of planned obsolescence of digital content tied to a company back to the forefront. As the years go by, companies must shoulder ever-increasing maintenance costs just to ensure their customers don't lose what they've purchased. That is, unless a problem bankrupts the company and all support and service vanishes overnight . So, do you prefer physical or digital formats for your console games?