3DS and Wii U software online services to end on April 8

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A group of Super Mario Maker players are attempting to beat every level ever created by other users before the Wii U's online services shut down for good. With the Nintendo Switch currently being the Japanese game giant's focus, Nintendo has been phasing out the services of its previous consoles, the Wii U and 3DS. While fans knew that these were being shut down, Nintendo finally confirmed the exact date the Wii U and 3DS servers will go offline. This closure will affect all games released on these systems that have online play and communication, such as the first Splatoon, Mario Kart 8, and Super Mario Maker.

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Nintendo has confirmed the date and time of the online multiplayer server shutdown for Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS for 8th April.

Nintendo has announced that the online services for its older platforms—namely the 3DS and the Wii U—will be shut down on April 8. The announcement comes a few months after the shut down of the online services was announced back in October. For the sake of context, the ability to purchase titles on the eShop on these platforms was already discontinued back in March 2023.

Time marches forward, and with it, gaming must also keep itself relevant. A few months back, we talked about how Nintendo was ending online support for two of its now-defunct consoles. A recent update from the company has since narrowed down exactly when that’s going to be happening.

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Nintendo will stream its previously planned Legend of Zelda and Splatoon live concerts.

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Nintendo has confirmed the date and time of the online multiplayer server shutdown for Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS for 8th April.

Nintendo has revealed exactly when most remaining online services for the 3DS and Wii U will come to an end. After 7AM ET on April 8, it will no longer be possible to jump into a multiplayer match on the original Splatoonor check out other players' levels in Super Mario Maker. Online co-op play, leaderboards and data distribution are among the features that won't be available on either console (unless you find an adequate homebrew solution). The Badge Arcade feature, which allows players to customize their Nintendo 3DS home menu, is going away too.