Nintendo was waiting for Wii U 10th anniversary before shutting eShop, report claims Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Nintendo was waiting for Wii U 10th anniversary before shutting eShop, report claims Suggestion of full closure in coming years. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 18 Feb 2022 30 comments Nintendo has been ready to close the Wii U eShop for years, but was waiting for the console's upcoming 10th anniversary to pass. That's according to a new report published by Nintendo Life, which cites a former Nintendo of America employee speaking anonymously on the inner workings of the company. Earlier this week, Nintendo upset the internet when it announced it would remove the ability to purchase digital 3DS and Wii U games from March next year. (Wii U turns 10 years old this November.) Watch on YouTube Eurogamer Newscast: Nintendo's Wii U and 3DS shutdown discussed. "Nintendo knows it has to support a product for a minimum of 10 years or they risk some class action," the ex-Nintendo employee said, adding that the decision not to support Wii U long-term was made long ago. "Internally, [Nintendo] has been waiting for that day since 2014 based on sales... Nintendo looks at the first two years as the indicator of when to start packing it in with a console." It's worth comparing the Wii U to Nintendo's hugely-successful 3DS handheld. Originally launched in 2011, the handheld's eShop will have lasted a year longer than Wii U when both have purchasing switched off next March. Lifetime sales of the 3DS sit above 75.7m, compared to the Wii U's 13.5m. Nintendo has said the Wii U and 3DS eShops will continue to allow game owners to redownload existing purchases for "the foreseeable future", but the employee suggests this functionality may also be lost soon. "They will give notice in 2023 that the server will be shut down after a time..." the ex-employee predicted. "People will 100 percent lose their games if something happens to their Wii U or the drive they have their games on." Nintendo did not issue a new comment to Nintendo Life for its report. Last night, the Video Game History Foundation offered its view on the changes to the 3DS and Wii U eShops. "We understand the business reality that went into this decision," the group wrote, "What we don't understand is what path Nintendo expects fans to take, should they wish to play these games in the future." Our statement on the closure of Nintendo's legacy digital shops. pic.twitter.com/mG5GzuGH4G- Video Game History Foundation (@GameHistoryOrg) February 17, 2022 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 7 Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 7 Latest Articles Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Jelly Deals Logitech's G Pro X gaming headset is its lowest-ever price during Amazon's Early Access sale Prime Members can get it for just £52. Jelly Deals Save over £500 off the retail price on this beefy ASUS TUF Dash gaming laptop from Amazon Under £1080 for an RTX 3070 laptop. Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store