A reminder has been issued by Nintendo of Europe to owners of Wii U and 3DS systems with an unused balance.
You have until March 2024 to merge unused balances into a Nintendo Account for use on the Nintendo Switch.
You may recall that as of March 27th, 2023, purchases of Wii U and 3DS games in the Nintendo eShop will no longer be possible. Free demos and other DLC will also be unavailable. Balance holders are advised to use their credit before that date. If this isn’t possible, merging is the alternative.
Merging your Nintendo Network ID funds (used on Nintendo eShop for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS) with the funds tied to their Nintendo Account (used on Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch) will allow you to continue to use them to purchase digital download titles, DLC, passes and other similar items for Nintendo Switch.
However, there is a downside: that March 2024 date (the 27th, to be exact). At this point, balance mergers will no be possible.
While this sounds bad (it is), remember that materials you have already paid for (e.g. games, DLC, etc.) will remain available.
For the foreseeable future, it will still be possible to redownload games and DLC, receive software updates and enjoy online play on Wii U consoles and Nintendo 3DS systems.
Linking your classic eShop and Nintendo Accounts together will ensure the Wii U/3DS balance is not lost.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
