Nintendo Network
Nintendo Network is the online infrastructure used by the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U for various features, such as online play, the Nintendo eShop, SpotPass, and Miiverse. It was first launched on the Nintendo 3DS on January 26, 2012, and it was available at launch on the Wii U. Nintendo Network is used by Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer on Nintendo 3DS, and the Animal Crossing Plaza application on Wii U.
Nintendo Network was succeeded by Nintendo Switch Online on the Nintendo Switch. After the release of the Nintendo Switch, several features of Nintendo Network, including Miiverse (November 7, 2017),[1] Nintendo 3DS/Wii U Image Share (October 25, 2022),[2] and purchasing software from the Nintendo eShop (March 27, 2023)[3] were discontinued.
With the exception of downloading updates and previously purchased software from the eShop, Nintendo Network will be fully discontinued on April 8, 2024 at 4 PM PDT.[4]
Usage in Animal Crossing games
Below is a table of all online features in Animal Crossing games for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U that use Nintendo Network.
| Game | Feature | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Crossing: New Leaf | Visiting friends' towns over the internet. | Active as of October 7, 2023 |
| Uploading and visiting dream towns | Active as of October 7, 2023[nb 1] | |
| Distribution of items via SpotPass. | Discontinued Distribution of final item (narrow clock) ended on March 31, 2017. | |
| Distribution of RVs via SpotPass.[nb 2] | Discontinued Distribution of final RV (Filly) ended on May 6, 2018. | |
| Posting screenshots to Facebook and Twitter via Nintendo 3DS Image Share[nb 2] | Discontinued Nintendo 3DS Image Share discontinued on October 25, 2022 | |
| Updating the game | Active as of October 7, 2023; last update released December 8, 2016 | |
| Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer | Uploading projects to and accessing the Happy Home Network | Active as of October 7, 2023 |
| Competing in Happy Home Network Design Contest challenges | Partially discontinued Final challenge held in May 2017; previous challenge information and results can still be viewed as of October 7, 2023 | |
| Downloading special client requests via SpotPass | Discontinued Distribution of final client request (Maddie) ended on February 29, 2016. | |
| Posting screenshots to Miiverse | Discontinued Miiverse discontinued on November 7, 2017 | |
| Updating the game | Active as of October 7, 2023; last update released September 25, 2015 | |
| Animal Crossing Plaza | Posting to the Animal Crossing Series Community and viewing posts from the Animal Crossing Series Community and Animal Crossing News Community | Discontinued Miiverse discontinued on November 7, 2017 |
| Voting for characters in Miiverse polls | Partially discontinued Final poll held in December 2014; previous poll results can still be viewed as of October 7, 2023 | |
| Updating the app | Discontinued App removed from the Nintendo eShop on December 22, 2014; last update released November 14, 2013 |
See also
Notes
- ↑ All dream towns from prior to the Welcome amiibo update were deleted when the Welcome amiibo update was released in November 2016. Additionally, dream towns that have not been visited in over one year are automatically deleted.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Feature added in the Welcome amiibo update.
References
- ↑ Nintendo of America. "Miiverse Service Discontinuation". Nintendo Support. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ↑ Nintendo of America. "Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Image Share Service Discontinuation". Nintendo Support. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ↑ Nintendo of America. "Wii U & Nintendo 3DS eShop Discontinuation Q&A". Nintendo Support. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
- ↑ Nintendo of America (October 4, 2023). "Announcement of Discontinuation of Online Services for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software". Nintendo Support. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
