Nintendo’s latest abrupt, out of nowhere announcement in a history of abrupt, out of nowhere announcements came in the middle of last night. A statement was released from them that said they now have plans to shut off the online support for the majority of Wii U and 3DS titles by next April. Or earlier: “If an event occurs that would make it difficult to continue online services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software, we may have to discontinue services earlier than planned,” they said.
I know what you’re thinking: “The Wii U hasn’t been shut off already?” Most of it has: Miiverse died a long time ago, and the online shop was shuttered earlier this year. But it’s still possible to use the online multiplayer features of Wii U titles that supported it, namely Splatoon, the original Mario Kart 8, and Super Smash Bros For Wii U. Same thing for the 3DS, which has its own Mario Kart and Smash Bros games, as well as Pokemon and Animal Crossing.
Two things about the 3DS will remain functional: StreetPass, which is more dependent on the individual 3DS’s connection than anything, and Pokemon Bank, the subscription cloud storage utility for storing away Pokemon (which Nintendo already replaced with Pokemon Home, but if you still use Bank, it’s there). Beyond that, Nintendo said some third party games for both systems could remain online, depending on what those publishers decide.
The ability to re-download digital games you’ve already purchased on the Wii U and 3DS will remain functional.
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