Nintendo 3DS And Wii U Online Services To Shut Down This April

24.01.2024 - 02:25 / thegamer.com / Ubisoft Montpellier / Nintendo

It was revealed last year that Nintendo would finally be pulling the plug on both the 3DS and Wii U at some point this year, though it didn't specify a certain date. Unfortunately, it seems like we'll only have a few months left plying online with the 3DS and Wii U, as Nintendo has finally announced that all online play for both systems, as well as any functionality that uses online communication, will end on April 8 later this year.

This was announced via a new post on the Nintendo website, and shared via the company's official Twitter account. According to the post, online play will cease to function at 4pm PDT on April 8, which includes online co-op, internet rankings, and data distribution for all Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. The only two exceptions are Pokemon bank and Pokemon Transporter, two services that are regularly used by Pokemon fans to transfer Pokemon between old and new hardware.

If you have any cash in your Nintendo eShop balance on your 3DS or Wii U, Nintendo is giving you until March 11 to merge your account with your regular Nintendo account, so you can use the funds on the Nintendo Switch eShop. If you don't do it before that date, your cash will probably vanish from existence, or it'll be stuck forever unused on the 3DS. Either way, best to get any remaining cash out of there while you still can.

Thankfully, it seems as though local communications will remain unaffected, so you'll still be able to play games such as Pokemon together with people in the same room, and StreetPass will also be unaffected for the three people that still regularly use it. Other than that every single game on both systems, including titles heavily dependent on online services, such as Splatoon and Super Mario Maker, will lose online functionality this April. It truly is the end of an era.

In other, less depressing Nintendo-related news, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was a massive success for developer Ubisoft Montpellier, who was asked in a recent Q&A what property they'd like to work on in the future. The answer was definitely a little out of left field, but would be very welcome if it were to happen, as the devs claimed that they'd love to be able to work on a Zelda spinoff one day, specifically based on Adventure of Link. Make it happen, Ubisoft.