Nintendo will close online stores for 3DS and Wii U in 2023, but will continue to support online gaming on consoles

Nintendo has announced that support for the 3DS and Wii U online stores will end in 2023. These changes will not affect the Nintendo Switch eShop infrastructure, and 3DS and Wii systems will continue to retain their online functionality for the foreseeable future.

According to Nintendo's latest financial report, Switch outsells Wii and PS1, making it one of the best-selling Nintendo systems of all time. The Switch's success left the 3DS and Wii U in the shadows, and it was only a matter of time before Nintendo started to end support for the devices.

3DS/Wii U online stores will be phased out over the next year, preventing people from buying games (including free games) and funding their accounts. Online stores will officially close sometime at the end of March 2023, when "it will no longer be possible to make purchases from Nintendo eShop for Wii U systems and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems."

However, these systems will continue to support online gaming in the future. And users will be able to re-download games they already own, even after online stores close.

A source: nintendo