Full server shutdowns could be coming sooner than you think, too.
Nintendo recently revealed its schedule for shuttering its digital storefronts for both the 3DS family of systems and the Wii U. From March 2023 you’ll be unable to make new purchases of digital software of any kind on the 3DS and Wii U eShops, which includes digital versions of physical releases, digital-only download games and all forms of DLC. You will be able to redownload purchases made prior to that date (much as you can still download previously-purchases original Wii titles on that console) “for the foreseeable future”, but obviously that functionality will eventually be removed.
‘Such is the way of things’, you might think — ‘it was never going to last forever’. And while most of us can sit and rationalise that, yes, of course digital services have a finite lifespan, and no, obviously we didn’t expect to be able to redownload our copy of Crimson Shroud when we’re in our 90s, seeing the digital store closures come so comparatively swiftly after these eShops first appeared is a bitter pill to swallow if you’re at all concerned about video game preservation.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
