Reminder: Online play for Wii U and 3DS will shut down on Monday
Players will still be able to play games offline and download update data
Nintendo will be shutting down online play for 3DS and Wii U early next week.
As previously reported, the company plans to close the services on April 8 at 4pm PT / 7pm ET (April 9 at 12am BST).
Nintendo already closed the eShops for both systems back in March 2023, but players have been able to continue using online services in-game, such as online multiplayer and rankings.
Once this ends next week, however, games will only be playable offline. This will particularly impact games with a heavy emphasis on online play, such as the original Splatoon on Wii U.
Players will still be able to play games offline once online services end, according to Nintendo. It has also said that Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter will retain online functionality (presumably since they’re still used by players and use online connectivity as their central mechanic).
Nintendo has also stressed that this only relates to in-game online functionality, meaning it will still be possible to download update data and redownload purchased software and DLC from the 3DS and Wii U eShops “for the foreseeable future”.
Further reading
Nintendo of America is reportedly cutting 120 contractor roles ahead of Switch 2’s launch
The closure of the Wii U and 3DS eShops last year effectively made around 1,000 digital-only eShop games disappear for good.
It also meant the termination of the final systems to support the Virtual Console service. Now the only retro games provided by Nintendo are the ones available on Switch Online’s various apps.
