Nintendo is discontinuing the "limited" 3DS and Wii U eShop in select Latin American territories
It's time to get your Nintendo Wii U and 3DS downloads squared away for good, as the eShop for those platforms will be going offline soon, in certain regions. On July 31st, users in 42 different countries across Latin America and the Caribbean will no longer be able to use the 3DS or Wii U eShop. It should be noted that these regions never had a typical Nintendo eShop, as they were referred to as "Limited Nintendo eShops", only offering game voucher redemptions as opposed to other regions where the eShop is a full digital storefront. This means that after the aforementioned date, redeeming download codes for Nintendo titles will no longer be an option, nor will downloading updates for games or system software, or even redownloading games you already own.
Nintendo recommends that you download all software and updates that you wish to keep prior to the deactivation date on July 31, and that you redeem your leftover game codes before it's too late. The following countries are the ones affected by this announcement: Anguilla, Antigua/Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Cost Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent/Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Those in Mexico or Brazil will not be affected and are an exception, as they offer their own regular Nintendo eShop service and not a "limited" version.
In certain Latin American and Caribbean countries, limited Nintendo eShops for the Wii U system and Nintendo 3DS family of systems have provided a few basic functions, such as game code redemption. Those limited Nintendo eShops will close on July 31, 2020 and users in the affected regions will no longer be able to access them to redeem a download code, redownload software or update software, so we encourage users to take any such actions before the closure date. Also, any software that requires the limited Nintendo eShops to operate may cease to function. (Note that Mexico and Brazil will not be affected.) We thank everyone for using the limited Nintendo eShops and for being such great fans of Nintendo.
What to do
We recommend that you take the following action on your Nintendo 3DS or Wii U before the closure date of July 31, 2020:
- Redownload any previously-downloaded software from the Nintendo eShop
- Check the Nintendo eShop for any available updates to software you own
- Redeem any download codes you have that have not yet been redeemed
FAQ
What do I do with any codes I haven't yet redeemed?
- What do I do with any codes I haven't yet redeemed?
- Why are the limited Nintendo eShops closing?
- Which regions are affected by this?
- Why aren’t Mexico and Brazil affected?
- Will you also be closing any limited Nintendo eShops for the Nintendo Switch system?
- Do you plan to open full Nintendo eShops for any Nintendo systems in the affected regions?
We encourage anyone with unredeemed codes to redeem them before the limited Nintendo eShops close on July 31, 2020. After that, it will not be possible to redeem any codes.
Why are the limited Nintendo eShops closing?
We constantly re-evaluate our business and make decisions based on a variety of factors.
Which regions are affected by this?
The following regions will be affected by this: Anguilla, Antigua/Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Cost Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent/Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Why aren’t Mexico and Brazil affected?
Mexico has a full Nintendo eShop, and those are not affected by the closure of limited Nintendo eShops. Brazil has a full Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems and has neither a full nor limited Nintendo eShop for the Wii U system.
Will you also be closing any limited Nintendo eShops for the Nintendo Switch system?
The closures only affect limited Nintendo eShops for the Wii U system and Nintendo 3DS family of systems in the affected regions. No limited or full Nintendo eShops for the Nintendo Switch system will be affected.
Do you plan to open full Nintendo eShops for any Nintendo systems in the affected regions?
We have nothing to announce on this topic.
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