Earlier today, Nintendo announced the 3DS and Wii U eShops would be closing in the foreseeable future. Hence from March 2022, no more eShop purchases or subscriptions will be allowed for the DS or Wii U, with only downloads of existing games and updates being supported.
This made a lot of Pokemon fans worried. After all, if Pokemon Bank is a paid service and those won’t be supported on 3DS anymore…
Does that mean Pokemon Bank is unavailable altogether? Will older Pokemon be trapped in the DS and 3DS games forever?
Fortunately, the answer is no. Why? Because right after the eShop announcement, the official Pokemon site announced the service would be going ‘free to use’. So, from late March 2023 onwards, you won’t need to pay for Pokemon Bank at all to use it.
Here’s the summary from Serebii.net:
Serebii Update: Pokémon Bank is to become free to use when the Nintendo 3DS eShop goes offline in March 2023 https://t.co/gDbXkHSvkT pic.twitter.com/lUznDSKfWc
— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) February 16, 2022
As well as a direct translation of the page on the Japanese Pokemon site:
Dear Customers
Thanks for enjoying the Pokemon series
The 3DS eShop is being closed down soon. As a result, Pokemon Bank is scheduled to become free of charge from late March 2022 onwards.
Pokemon deposited in Pokemon Bank can be moved to Pokemon HOME free of charge, so please continue to use it.
It’s good news for Pokemon fans, and means that your DS/3DS era Pokemon won’t be lost forever. Thanks guys!
So what do you think? Are you happy to see Pokemon Bank go free to use? How long do you think the service will last afterwards?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or on our Discord server today!
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