Nintendo stops selling digital games for old consoles, hundreds of titles will disappear

Bad news this morning brings us Nintendo. They announced that from the third month of 2023, they will kill their eShop for all types of 3DS and Wii U consoles, after which it will no longer be possible to buy games in digital form on these platforms. As the eShop has already been shut down on the old Wii console, the Switch will next year become Nintendo's only platform where digital games can be purchased.

The comforting news is that owners of digital games at eShop will not lose those games - they will still be able to download them again whenever they want. However, as many games for 3DS and Wii U are only available in digital form, the closure of eShop also means their permanent suspension of sales on Nintendo platforms in case the developer does not switch them to Switch.

Nintendo reports that shutting down the eShop is a natural part of the life cycle of a console after users start using it less and less. As for Nintendo's content, which will be permanently discontinued by shutting down the eShop on 3DS and Wii U platforms, they said that they have no plans to make it available for purchase in a different form and that they will deliver all classic content by subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online.

In other words, owning old Nintendo games in digital form is going down in history along with eShop for 3DS and Wii U.