Nintendo Network

Nintendo Network
The Nintendo Network Logo.
Provider	Nintendo
Launched	January 26, 2012[1]
Shutdown	April 8, 2024[2]
Service provided	Online Wireless Communications
Accessible by	Internet
Website	Digital Accounts | Wii U | Nintendo Support

Nintendo Network (Japanese: ニンテンドーネットワーク Nintendo Network) was a service ran by Nintendo that allowed users to be matched up with other players and play games with each other online. It was used by games for both the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. It was the successor to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service and was succeeded by Nintendo Switch Online.

Nintendo Network began on January 26, 2012 for 3DS games. The service was closed on April 8, 2024, though Pokémon Bank will remain functional for the foreseeable future.

Features

Friend Codes

Main article: Friend Code

The Nintendo 3DS family required every user to have an online ID attached to a Friend Code. It was generated during set up of the 3DS and remains unless the 3DS is formatted. It was used to identify other players on online play along. This feature was also used for the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

In the games

Pokémon X and Y were the first Pokémon games to utilize the Nintendo Network.

Features

Features in the core series games

• The Player Search System used Nintendo Network to communicate with other players.
• Some Mystery Gifts were able to be received via Nintendo Network.

Features in the spin-off Pokémon games

• Multiple spin-off games used Nintendo Network to access the Nintendo eShop or for other multiplayer features via the Internet.

Other features

• The Nintendo 3DS and Wii U allowed players to use the Nintendo eShop.

Games compatible with the Nintendo Network

The following Pokémon games were compatible with the Nintendo Network service.

Nintendo 3DS titles

• Pokémon X and Y
• Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
• Pokémon Sun and Moon
• Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
• Pokémon Bank
• Pokémon Art Academy
• Pokémon Shuffle
• Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon

Wii U titles

• Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Promotions

Players in the United Kingdom who created a Nintendo Network ID between December 10, 2013 and January 31, 2014 on their Nintendo 3DS received Super Mario Bros. Deluxe as a free download.^[3]

Players who had a registered Nintendo Network ID got a 30 day free trial for Pokémon Bank from December 27, 2013 to January 31, 2014.

Trivia

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity was the only Generation V Pokémon game that utilized Nintendo Network.

In other languages

References

This article is part of Project Mass Media, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on official Pokémon publishing, broadcasting, communications, and other media.