The Nintendo Network was an online service run by Nintendo that provided free online functionalities for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U systems and their compatible games. Launched in 2012, it was Nintendo's second online service after Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection; the Nintendo Network was not supported on the Nintendo Switch, which uses the subscription-based Nintendo Switch Online, although Nintendo Network IDs were able to be linked to the Switch via Nintendo Accounts.
The service was shut down by Nintendo on April 8, 2024, leading to functions such as online play, global leaderboards, SpotPass, and most other online features of both the Wii U and 3DS no longer being accessible. Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter, which remained online after the initial shutdown, are set to be discontinued on February 25, 2027. The only services which remain online are system software and game updates, the limited Nintendo 3DS theme shop, friend lists, and redownloading previously purchased software from the Nintendo eShop for their respective systems. Users can also still sign into the service and link the Nintendo Network ID to a Nintendo Account.
History On January 20, 2012, an image of Theatrhythm Final Fantasys box art was released showing a "Nintendo Network" icon in the corner of the box. It was speculated that "Nintendo Network" was a rebranding of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Nintendo officially announced Nintendo Network on January 26, 2012. Nintendo stated that Nintendo Network would be a new unified network system as opposed to a rebranding of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Nintendo stated that the Nintendo Network would provide the infrastructure for online multiplayer (through universal friend codes on the Nintendo 3DS and a user account system on the Wii U), SpotPass, and the Nintendo eShop. During the pre-E3 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo clarified that Nintendo Network would be the basis for Nintendo's then-upcoming social network known as Miiverse. Nintendo Network would provide the network infrastructure for the Nintendo 3DS, for the Wii U, and was initially planned for future Nintendo platforms.
Former president of Nintendo Satoru Iwata said, "Unlike Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, which has been focused upon specific functionalities and concepts, we are aiming to establish a platform where various services available through the network for our consumers shall be connected via Nintendo Network service so that the company can make comprehensive proposals to consumers."
Discontinuation On October 4, 2023, Nintendo announced the discontinuation of the Nintendo Network service for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS by April 2024, which would shut down online play features and SpotPass. On January 23, 2024, Nintendo announced that the service would specifically shut down at 00:00 UTC on April 9, 2024. The servers were shut down at 02:00 UTC on that day. Some online services, such as Pokémon Bank and Poké Transporter and third-party games not using Nintendo Network continue to function.
Some features of the Nintendo Network had shut down earlier. Nintendo TVii in North America shut down on August 11, 2015. Miiverse, Wii U Chat, and Nintendo TVii in Japan had shut down on November 7, 2017. Most of the official streaming services have been discontinued on the 3DS and Wii U, and the Nintendo eShop for these systems closed on March 27, 2023. Previously purchased content from the Nintendo eShop remains redownloadable, and remains so for the foreseeable future. The ability to merge funds that were left on the Nintendo Network ID to a Nintendo Account ended on March 11, 2024. The ability to connect a Nintendo Network ID to a Nintendo Account also remains functional; however, the option of signing into a Nintendo Account through an NNID has been discontinued for security reasons.
After the shutdown, users that were still connected to the service were able to continue playing post-closure if their consoles remained on, with some continuing to play for over a month after the service's intended shutdown. The final player remain active for several months after the shutdown, disconnecting on November 4, 2024. Since the shutdown, there have been fanmade attempts to restore the functionality of the Nintendo Network, most notably Pretendo Network. It can be accessed with custom firmware on the Nintendo 3DS family, and either custom firmware or SSL bypassing on Wii U.
Features Wii U Nintendo 3DS family Smartphones/PC/Tablets User Information Nintendo Network ID User Account Profile Personal Mii Friend List Origin support Uplay support Nintendo Network ID Universal Friend Code System Personal Mii Friend List Nintendo Network ID User Account Profile Personal Mii Friend List Social Network Miiverse Games Online multiplayer Online leaderboards Voice/video chat Downloadable content Demos Software ratings Software updates/patches Miiverse integration Screenshot/video capture Virtual Console rowspan="2" Badge Arcade Communication Friend List Block List Player History SpotPass Notifications Friend List StreetPass StreetPass Mii Plaza Swapnote SpotPass Swapdoodle Notifications Download Play Miiverse Cross-platform Online Shop Nintendo eShop Entertainment Nintendo TVii YNN! Crunchyroll BBC iPlayer TiVo ITV Player Amazon Video LoveFilm Short Films Recochoku e-Reader Nintendo TV Nintendo Video rowspan="3" Netflix Hulu Plus YouTube Niconico NewsNintendo DirectNintendo eShop News Internet Navigation Internet Browser (Wii U) Internet Browser (Nintendo 3DS) rowspan="2" Integrated Google/Yahoo search engine Loyalty Program Club NintendoNintendo Network Premium My Nintendo Other Utilities Parental controls eManuals Nintendo Customer Service Nintendo Online Store System Update Wii U System Update Nintendo 3DS System Update
Notes NNID on 3DS – support for Nintendo eShop free downloads and Miiverse Swapnote/Nintendo Letter Box – used for local messaging only since SpotPass was disabled for the app globally on October 31, 2013, due to inappropriate images being sent to minors. In November 2016, the app was succeeded by Swapdoodle. The Miiverse app was released on the Nintendo 3DS on December 9, 2013.
Discontinued services: SpotPass TV – cancelled on June 20, 2012. Eurosport – discontinued on December 31, 2012. Nintendo Show 3D – ended on March 28, 2013. Nintendo Video – the app was discontinued and was delisted from the eShop on March 31, 2014, in Japan and the PAL region, and June 29, 2015, in North America. However, the name continued to be used as a permanent Nintendo eShop category in North America, hosting many previous and future video content on demand. BBC iPlayer – delisted from the Nintendo eShop on August 31, 2016, and the app closed by January 16, 2017, for those who already downloaded it on the Wii U. The service was terminated due to the end in the licence agreement between BBC and Nintendo UK. Miiverse – discontinued on November 8, 2017. Wii U Chat – discontinued on November 8, 2017.
Backward compatibility
Nintendo Network previously provided legacy support for the Wii and Nintendo DS/DSi systems, as Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection had been absorbed into the service. This ensured the uninterrupted online support and general backwards compatibility of the Wii and DS families of game libraries when played on the Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS. The Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service was globally discontinued on May 20, 2014, which ended support for online multiplayer, matchmaking, and leaderboards for Wii and Nintendo DS games that supported those features, and this also applies to the legacy online support of these games when played on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, including downloadable versions. The Wii Shop Channel closed on January 30, 2019, preventing any new games, channels, or WiiWare from being purchased. Previous downloads can still be redownloaded if data from the Wii was transferred to the Wii U system.
User information Nintendo Network ID Nintendo Network IDs (NNID) are user account systems for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, which allow players to access certain online features such as the Nintendo eShop and Miiverse. On December 9, 2013, Nintendo Network IDs were implemented on the Nintendo 3DS, becoming required for downloading free demos from the eShop, replacing the previous system in which eShop purchases were tied to a single system. Players who own both a Wii U and a Nintendo 3DS are able to link a single Nintendo Network ID to both systems, allowing funds added from credit cards or pre-paid cards to be shared across both systems' eShops. However, a Nintendo Network ID can only be used on one 3DS system at a time, requiring players to perform a system transfer to move account details from one 3DS system to another, IDs were tied to a single Wii U system, though a future update to resolve this had been promised, which was also essential for the company's long-term plans. Players may also sign into Nintendo Network on other platforms, such as the web-based Miiverse portal for computers, with functionality for tablets and smartphones also planned.
Nintendo originally planned for the Nintendo Network ID to become a prominent account system standard for all future Nintendo hardware releases, as well as any Nintendo-published apps released for non-Nintendo devices. However, in March 2016, Nintendo introduced Nintendo Account for non-Nintendo devices, and for the Nintendo Switch when it launched a year later, although the new account service complemented Nintendo Network ID if users had one. For example, if users linked their Nintendo Network ID to their Nintendo Account, they could share eShop funds between their Nintendo Switch and their Wii U or Nintendo 3DS.
In April 2020, credential stuffing from other breaches outside Nintendo which included NNID user and password information led to approximately 160,000 Nintendo Accounts becoming a target for malicious users that would use the NNID login to purchase digital goods via the account. By April 24, 2020, Nintendo temporarily disabled the use of NNID as a login method for Nintendo Accounts, emailed affected users to require password changes, and recommended users enable two-factor authentication. Nintendo stated in June 2020 that it found that an additional 140,000 accounts may have also been part of this same breach, bringing the total to 300,000, and had reset the passwords for all affected users and sent notifications to them.
Universal Friend Code system Nintendo Network used a universal Friend Code system as its account system for the Nintendo 3DS. While these Friend Codes could only be registered for one user per system, they were functional for all Nintendo 3DS software used on that system. These Friend Codes initially had limited transference under a conditional online protocol. After the Nintendo Network ID (NNID) was introduced for the Nintendo 3DS in December 2013, the limit on system transfers was lifted, but both NNID accounts and Friend Codes remained tied to a single system at a time.
Games In Japan, the first games to introduce Nintendo Network officially were Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and Tekken 3D: Prime Edition, which were both released on the same day in February 2012. The first game that introduced the Nintendo Network outside Japan was Kid Icarus: Uprising, released in March 2012. Most games that were released with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support before the launch of the Nintendo Network were later rebranded as Nintendo Network compatible games, including Nintendo 3DS launch titles such as Nintendogs + Cats.
Nintendo Network compatible games launched alongside the Wii U in 2012. Ubisoft confirmed that Assassin's Creed III and Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth would launch with Nintendo Network support.
Online multiplayer