Download codes for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U can be redeemed again. Nintendo re-activated the ability to do so on the Nintendo eShop for both systems until Monday, April 3 at 9:30 PM Pacific Time.
Per Nintendo, the change was made since “the feature to redeem download codes was disabled earlier than scheduled. […] Please redeem any remaining download codes from the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U before then.”
Previously, the code redemption feature was planned to be disabled earlier in the week on March 27. Nintendo’s gradually phased out eShop functionality for those two systems (which will both be a decade or more old this year), so after April 3, the storefronts will be permanently sunset.
However, it’ll still be possible to redownload 3DS and Wii U titles after that date.
If there’s any remaining balance in players’ Nintendo Network ID wallet (which was used for the Wii U and 3DS), it’ll be transferred over to the Nintendo Account wallet used in the Nintendo Switch. That function will be available until March 2024.
The 3DS and Wii U may live on again, eventually
Ahead of the 3DS and Wii U’s eShops closing down, there’s been plenty of attention shined on games from both systems worth buying.
Losing both storefronts is another blow to game preservation, but Nintendo may be taking a page from Sony’s playbook. The Nintendo Switch Online subscription service currently features games from the Sega Genesis and Nintendo 64, and more recently added games from the Game Boy family of handhelds.
It seems reasonable to guess that sometime down the line, games from the 3DS and Wii U will be added to the service. While it won’t be a complete solution to Nintendo’s issues with preservation, it’ll at the very least ensure that some of the most well-known titles live on.