The time has finally come and gone – as of yesterday, April 8th, 2024, Wii U and 3DS games can no longer access Nintendo Network servers. This has resulted in many, many games being stripped of core components, from online battling and trading in Pokémon to accessing courses in the original Super Mario Maker.
The 3DS and Wii U era could be seen as Nintendo’s first full dive into modern online gaming after dabbling with the concept on a game-by-game basis on the Wii and DS. Miiverse, which shut down years ago, gave players a walled-garden approach to social media while first party Nintendo games got paid DLC for the first time.
Many fans saw off the services in style, sharing their last moments online. For example, Matthew Reynolds has shared what is sure to become a fascinating time capsule – Super Mario Maker’s Course World in the last moments before the servers went down – or this video by Jerm showing the servers going down mid-Mario Kart 7 race.
Captured the moment the 3ds online shut down, what a way to.
Was racing in rainbow road, and was so close to finishing.
Long live Nintendo Network. pic.twitter.com/4R6EwXlYUq
— Jerm-𝕏 (@jrmy67) April 9, 2024
It’s worth noting that Pokémon Bank and Pokémon Transporter are still accessible, for those who want the chance to bring over their favorite Pokémon to modern systems via Pokémon HOME.
Thankfully, fan efforts have made it so you can still play the majority of these games online even after the server shutdown thanks to the Pretendo service. You can get a breakdown of what it is and how it works via Modern Vintage Gamer.
Written by Tom Brown
Whether it’s an exciting new entry in a series long established or a weird experiment meant only for the dedicated, Tom is eager to report on it. Rest assured, if Nintendo ever announces Elite Beat Agents 2, he’ll be there.
