Nintendo eShop update adds Xenoblade Chronicles X, Pokemon Picross

By Danny Cowan Published December 4, 2015

xenoblade and pokemon picross headline eshop update xenoeshop header — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo’s latest update to its digital eShop storefront marks the North American debut of the Wii U RPG Xenoblade Chronicles X, which arrives alongside other standouts like the Pokemon-themed 3DS puzzler Pokemon Picross.

This week also introduces a new backward-compatible Wii game that players can download via the eShop and play on Wii U consoles.

Xenoblade Chronicles launches digitally and at retail this week, following up on the 2012 Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles. Continuing the story introduces in the first game, Xenoblade Chronicles X puts players in control of mechanical suits of armor as they search for a new home for the human race in the wake of Earth’s destruction.

The original Xenoblade was ported to the New Nintendo 3DS earlier this year under the name Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. The adaptation is thus far one of the few games that will only play on New Nintendo 3DS portables, as it relies on the hardware’s increased CPU clock speed and C-stick nub.

Also hitting the Wii U eShop this week is Trauma Team, a backward compatible Wii game originally released in 2010. A sequel in Atlus’ Trauma Center series, Trauma Team features surgical gameplay in which players must operate on patients and heal their afflictions using Wii Remote movements and gestures.

3DS owners, meanwhile, can download Pokemon Picross today free of charge. A new entry in Nintendo’s long-running picture-puzzle series, Pokemon Picross features retooled gameplay in which players complete puzzles in order to capture Pokemon creatures. Captured Pokemon boast their own unique abilities, which can aid in completing later puzzles.

Pokemon Picross is Nintendo’s latest free-to-play release, giving players access to early levels before demanding real-world cash for in-game currency and replenished cooldown timers.

Other games hitting the eShop this week include the 3DS first-person survival horror game Dementium Remastered, DSiWare hidden object puzzler The Mysterious Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and the 3DS and Wii U action game Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends.

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Nintendo’s eShop is currently unavailable in Russia

Nintendo Switch OLED model

Nintendo's eShop is currently down in Russia, following a decision made by the payment service used by the company to stop accepting Russia's currency, Rubles.

According to the Russian Nintendo eShop page, the eShop is currently in "maintenance mode." It doesn't seem like the decision to shut down its eShop in Russia was made by Nintendo however, but rather by another company that handles the shop's transactions. Nintendo has notably kept quiet regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, whereas its peers in the game industry have openly taken measures to limit or entirely halt the sales of their products in Russia.

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Nintendo’s eShop closures are a necessary, but messy move

A Nintendo Wii U gamepad flat on a table.

Nintendo last week announced its intentions to shut down the Wii U and 3DS eShops, the systems' digital storefronts, in March 2023. This decision was disappointing for hardcore fans who stuck with Nintendo during that rocky era and extremely worrying as many of the games available on the platforms won't be preserved.
More significant Wii U games and a handful of 3DS titles were ported to Switch, but many titles are still stuck on those systems and can’t be ported. Once the digital storefront shutdowns, digital-only titles will be gone forever, and physical copies of these titles will get more expensive and harder to experience. Fans and game preservationists have not been pleased by this decision, with the Video Game History Foundation giving the most candid response.
https://twitter.com/GameHistoryOrg/status/1494398068346654720
Following this announcement, Digital Trends spoke to an industry analyst and game preservationists to get a better idea of what exactly caused Nintendo to shut down these stores and to learn how it could do a better job at preserving its legacy.
Why is Nintendo shutting down the 3DS and Wii eShops?
Officially, Nintendo’s FAQ on the eShop closures says “this is part of the natural life cycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time." The answer doesn’t get into specifics and might confuse those still playing games on the system or fans of games only available on Wii U or 3DS. Omdia Principal Analyst Matthew Bailey explains Nintendo’s user base argument in more detail, highlighting the massive gap between the number of people playing the Switch as opposed to the Wii U.
“While Omdia expects the number of Switch consoles in active use to exceed 90 million on a global basis this year, the Wii U’s global active installed base will drop under one million in 2022,” he explains. “Even when you include the more enduring 3DS family of consoles into the equation, the Switch still comfortably accounts for over 90% of Nintendo’s total active console install base.”
If one is going off just the numbers, it’s sensible that Nintendo would want to focus on the majority of its players. Bailey admits that “Switch users are already reaping the benefits of Nintendo’s singular first-party development focus on one platform.” Still, one might argue that Nintendo should just let the eShops remain up even if it isn’t actively updating or maintaining them.

Unfortunately, Nintendo doesn’t see that as possible due to cost and security issues. Game Over Thrity, a Twitter user with over 20 years of experience working on IT projects and infrastructure, shed some light on what might have influenced Nintendo’s decision-making in a thread.
“As these systems age, they require patches, security, special contracts, updates, and personnel that know how they were built (and maintained),” his Twitter thread explains. “As time goes on, there are security holes, servers, code, infrastructure, etc., that can’t be brought up to modern standards. It becomes a constant struggle between maintaining legacy systems, paying people to do so, and trying to keep up with global regulations. It’s not cheap by any means. They can’t just ‘leave the lights on’ and stop supporting them. What if someone hacked the payment processor?”
With every passing year, the Wii U and 3DS eShops likely became more expensive to maintain and an increased security risk for the video game publisher. Instead of investing the time and resources into pleasing a smaller amount of players, the easier option is to turn everything off entirely. While he isn’t affiliated with Nintendo, Game Over Thirty’s assessment aligns with what we’ve heard from Nintendo and Omdia.
"The Wii U’s global active installed base will drop under one million in 2022."

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Nintendo is ending Wii U and 3DS eShop service

Photos of the 3DS eShops

Nintendo has announced the end of its eShop service for the Wii U console and 3DS handheld. The eShop will stay live on those devices until late March 2023, after which players will no longer be able to purchase games or download eShop apps and services for those devices.

After the closure, players will still be able to redownload games and DLC that they already own, use online play, and download software updates.