The Nintendo Wii U and 3DS EShops have been officially shutdown, While you’ll no longer be able to purchase games or DLC from either EShop, you’ll still be able to redownload the games you’ve already bought and play online for the time being. The company warned of the shutdown about a year ago, the homebrew community has put lots of effort into archiving all the software that was/is available on the storefront.

Nintendo’s decision to shut down the Wii U and 3DS EShops, the digital storefronts for those systems, in March 2023 has disappointed hardcore fans and raised concerns about game preservation. While many significant Wii U games and some 3DS titles have been ported to Switch, many games are still stranded on those systems and can’t be ported. Once the digital storefronts are closed, digital-only titles will be gone forever, and physical copies of these titles will become more expensive and harder to experience. Fans and game preservationists are unhappy with this decision, with some calling on Nintendo to do better at preserving its legacy.

The official explanation for shutting down the EShops is that it is part of the natural lifecycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time. However, the number of people playing the Switch far exceeds the number still playing the Wii U or 3DS. The cost and security issues associated with maintaining legacy systems are also a factor in the decision to shut down the EShops.

One potential solution that has been proposed is for Nintendo to create a virtual console for the Switch, allowing players to purchase and play older games from previous consoles. This would not only provide a way for players to access older titles, but it would also generate revenue for Nintendo. However, there are concerns that licensing issues with third-party developers could prevent some titles from being made available on a virtual console.

Ultimately, the closure of the Wii U and 3DS EShops highlights the issue of preserving video game history and the need for better solutions. As gaming continues to grow as a cultural and artistic medium, it’s important that efforts are made to preserve the games of the past, not only for nostalgia but also for academic and historical purposes. With the rise of digital media, it’s crucial that companies like Nintendo take proactive steps to preserve their legacy, whether that means creating virtual consoles, working with external institutions, or investing in better archival practices. By doing so, they can ensure that future generations will be able to experience the games that shaped the industry we know today.

Game preservationists are calling on Nintendo to do a better job of preserving its exclusive titles. The Nintendo Switch is not backward compatible with the Wii U or 3DS, so the titles on these stores are stranded unless a developer goes through the time and effort to port them to new platforms. Some solutions proposed by preservationists include working with external institutions to preserve Nintendo’s work and preserving digital-born content through structures like the Library of Congress.

Along with game preservationists the Homebrew community is making a considerable effort to back up the games, even going as far as figuring out how the Nintendo EShop on the Wii U downloads the software onto the console. Not only that but the 3DS homebrew community has created a whole website that has all the archived games from each region. But many people consider the Homebrew communities efforts as illegal and piracy. Nintendo has tried multiple times to stop people from posting the roms of their games, but they always get reposted.

In conclusion, the closure of the Wii U and 3DS EShops highlights the importance of game preservation, especially as gaming and other digital media become increasingly relevant culturally. While Nintendo’s decision to shut down the EShops is driven by security, revenue, and user base concerns, it is disappointing for fans and raises concerns about preserving gaming history. Nintendo needs to do a better job of preserving the games exclusive to these platforms to ensure that they are not lost to time.