The Netflix app for Wii U and 3DS will be shut off in June

I recently downloaded every Wii U game I want for safekeeping

It’s too early to feel nostalgic about the Wii U – or is it? (You’re right. It probably is.)

Nintendo has confirmed that Netflix will no longer be usable on Wii U or 3DS as of June 30, 2021. The app was already delisted from the eShop on December 31, 2020, but soon it’ll be outright discontinued. If you’re one of the few who still uses Netflix on either platform, come June 30, you won’t be able to.

These things happen. Legacy systems fade away. Digital game stores won’t last forever, and that goes double for streaming services. But at the same time, wow, the Switch doesn’t have its own Netflix app.

As superior a system as the Nintendo Switch is, I have a soft spot for the Wii U. It’s clunky to load anything, and the GamePad range limitations aren’t ideal, but I still enjoy it for Virtual Console purposes.

Over the holiday break, I randomly got the urge to comb through my digital Wii U library. I cleared out all of the games I don’t expect to return to (mostly titles that have since been ported to Switch like Pikmin 3) and downloaded everything I wanted on my console so it’s good to go if and when games are ever pulled from the store. The one-by-one process was tedious – and it felt so bizarre to spend money on a few more Game Boy Advance titles in 2020 including Final Fantasy Tactics Advance – but it’s done. My Wii U library is now “locked in place,” and there’s something reassuring about that knowledge.

Also, I finally took the time to get homebrew running on my Wii U and dang was that worthwhile.