Nintendo Wii U and 3DS Japan eShops Dropping Credit Card Support Next Year

Nintendo has now confirmed that customers in the Japan region won’t be able to top-up their Wii U or 3DS eShop balance using credit cards as of January 18th, 2022. Nintendo announced it via a Twitter post and an accompanying blog post.

Credit card support for both of these eShops had already been dropped in many regions – including Europe, Australia, and New Zealand last year. However, customers will still be able to shop games digitally using other payment methods, so at least the stores aren’t shutting down entirely.

Given that the 3DS and Wii U are almost 10 and 9 years old respectively, it isn’t so big of a surprise that Nintendo would stop continuing support for these devices. Particularly more so, since Nintendo Switch being a hybrid console combines the best of both worlds. Following the incredible success of the Nintendo Switch, the Kyoto-based giant also announced an OLED model of the console dropping later this year.

「ニンテンドー3DSシリーズおよびWii U内のニンテンドーeショップにおけるクレジットカードと交通系電子マネーのご利用取扱い終了について」のお知らせを掲載しました。 https://t.co/hlGGJIZu3B

— 任天堂サポート (@nintendo_cs) July 20, 2021