The success of the Nintendo Switch has overtaken the company’s previous offerings. Since the release of the Game Boy in 1989, Nintendo has long practiced the “Two-Punch Strategy” with their hardware: offering both a home console as well as a handheld platform simultaneously. The Switch combined these two long-standing revenue streams into one killer console, and naturally focus has been turned towards the future.
As attention and resources have shifted towards the future, the state of the eShop on 3DS and Wii U is crumbling. The service was closed in some countries in June of 2020, and Nintendo of Japan has announced that these storefronts will end credit card purchases in January 2022. When these services become unavailable, players won’t just be unable to download or purchase titles; there’s a large number of titles that will cease to exist.
These are games that aren’t available on any other storefront and were not given physical release. This doesn’t count Virtual Console titles, as those can be found for original hardware. When the 3DS and Wii U eShops are officially dead, these games will be, too. You can stock up on titles now, while there’s still time.
It is currently unclear when these changes may be made in North America and Europe, as this most recent announcement seems to pertain only to Japan. Still, the writing is on the wall, and it doesn’t hurt to prepare. Too many times, as digital services are being sunset, preservationists and archivists scramble to save what they can before access is terminated. Backing up titles now will save time in the long run, and show developers that their work is appreciated enough to be saved.
Without further ado, the titles most at risk for the Nintendo 3DS:
- 2 Fast 4 Gnomz
- Bakutsuri Bar Hunter
- Bit Boy!! Arcade
- BlazBlue: -ClonePhantasma-
- Chase: Cold Case Investigations – Distant Memories
- Crashmo
- Dementium Remastered
- Dillon’s Rolling Western
- Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger
- Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure
- Family Table Tennis 3D
- Flipnote Studio 3D
- Fluidity: Spin Cycle
- Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH!
- Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D: Space Recipe for Disaster
- Guild 02
- HarmoKnight
- Ikachan
- IronFall: Invasion
- Jett Rocket II: The Wrath of Taikai
- Kersploosh!
- Ketzal’s Corridors
- Kirby’s Blowout Blast
- Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move
- Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge
- My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Nintendo Badge Arcade
- Parascientific Escape: Cruise in the Distant Seas
- Parascientific Escape: Gear Detective
- Parascientific Escape: Crossing at the Farthest Horizon
- Pocket Card Jockey
- Pokémon Battle Trozei
- Pokémon Picross
- Pushmo
- Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball
- Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword
- Stretchmo
- Swapdoodle
- Swapnote
- Tank Troopers
- Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
- The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave
- The Denpa Men 2: Beyond the Waves
- The Denpa Men 3: The Rise of Digitoll
- The Denpa Men RPG FREE!
- Tokyo Crash Mobs
These are the most at-risk titles for the Wii U:
- Affordable Space Adventures
- Amiibo Tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits
- Dr. Luigi
- Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge
- Pokémon Rumble U
- Pushmo World
- Shut the Box
- The Letter
This is the most up-to-date and complete list I’ve been able to compile. A number of titles have already been delisted in recent years, either by Nintendo or the developers themselves. But as it stands, the aforementioned games are ones that can still be saved.
What do you think about these titles? How many have you played? [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”0c2yaqh5bf” question=”Do you think there is value in preserving every game, or should the community make careful choices about what is saved?” opened=”0″]Do you think there is value in preserving every game, or should the community make careful choices about what is saved?[/wpdiscuz-feedback] Let us know in the comments!
Updated July 26, 2021: Added the tragically overlooked Pocket Card Jockey.
Cole
I think both decisions honestly have value.
On the one hand, preserving every game is EXTREMELY helpful (Especially in regards to the EShop) to those who may want to look into purchasing this thing or that thing, especially when it comes to Future Generations of people who are looking to get games (I was one of the unfortunate folks who missed out on the WiiWare games)
On the other hand, some games are best left out, especially those that pretty much get bombed. If anything those with review scores under 5/10 or 3 Stars should be wiped off the board. That way there are good enough recommendations to those who are looking to try out and purchase other games.
It is within my opinion the situation in regards to the EShop could be executed better that could be a win-win scenario for Nintendo and its Customers
Casualnuke
Also moon chronicles, like dementium remastered it’s a remaster of an older ds game so you can still get it for that but the remasters are eshop exclusive and will disappear for good when the store loses credit card use