This upcoming Monday, April 8th, marks a particularly somber day for fans of Nintendo. 

It’s the day when the online services for the company’s Wii U and 3DS systems will shut down forever. Sadly, online service shutdowns have become a common occurrence in modern gaming, depriving players of the online components in various games and, in some cases, wiping out entire gaming experiences. This isn’t the first time Nintendo has taken this step,
so many fans have been bracing themselves for the same fate for the Wii U and 3DS.

The Nintendo Wii offered a range of online services, including online multiplayer and a shop where players could download exclusive WiiWare games and retro titles through the Virtual Console. However, Nintendo shut down Wii’s online multiplayer in 2014, with the shop following suit in 2019. Similarly, the online services for the Nintendo DS were discontinued in 2014. Now, the same fate awaits the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.

While the Wii’s shop remained open for a while after most of its other online features were shut down, the opposite is true for the 3DS and Wii U.
The shops for both consoles closed last year, although online services for various games on the two platforms have remained available until now. However, come Monday, April 8th, the online functionality for both the Wii U and 3DS will cease to exist. So, anyone interested in experiencing those features should make a point to dust off their old consoles.

The silver lining is that the majority of Wii U and 3DS games don’t heavily rely on online multiplayer. In most cases, online features complemented the core gameplay rather than defining it entirely. However, there are exceptions, like with Splatoon. While the original Splatoon offers some offline modes,
its PvP multiplayer experience is at the heart of the game.

With the impending shutdown of Wii U online on April 8th, Splatoon is also reaching the end of an era. When the Wii U online services cease,
the multiplayer for the original Splatoon game will stop functioning, leaving behind a mere shadow of its former self. This is undoubtedly disappointing for Splatoon fans. However, the silver lining is that newer Splatoon games are available on the Nintendo Switch, with both Splatoon 2 and Splatoon 3 offering fully functioning online modes.

It’s important for fans to take note of these changes and cherish the remaining time they have with these online features before they’re gone for good.