Bank of Pokémon that will live in Nintendo’s 3DS eShop is decommissioned

Nintendo’s decision on shutter Nintendo 3DS and Wii U eShops daffects not only the game, but also other things as Pokémon Bank. While it may become impossible to play certain games, Pokémon the app will work — but not forever.

This is how Nintendo.com describes it Pokémon Bank:

Pokémon Bank is a paid app and service with an annual fee of $4.99 ($7.09) that allows you to deposit, store, and manage up to 3,000 of your Pokémon in different accounts. Private box on the Internet! It will be a powerful resource for players who enjoy acquiring a variety of Pokémon, or for those who like to raise multiple Pokémon in preparation for battles and competitions! Pokémon Bank also makes it easy to transfer Pokémon from copies of Pokémon Sun, Pokémon Moon, Pokémon X, Pokémon Y, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire–downloadable versions included — for a single game!

According to The Pokémon Company Japanese announcement, the app will become free in March 2023 when the eShop closes. However, on that same day, you won’t be able to download new apps. (Similarly, it will not be possible to download the Poké Transporter, which is used with the Pokémon Bank.)

But how long will the Pokémon Bank continue to be free? The fine print of the Pokémon Company’s Japanese press release reads: “The length of time the free service will end has yet to be decided.” It added that an announcement would be made on the official website and to check back “at a later date”.

Even more obvious is The Pokémon Company Japanese-language tweets about the announcement, which says the app will be free “for a fixed period of time.” When writing, English-language Pokémon Twitter the account has yet to issue any notice regarding the service. The same is true for the English website pokemon.com and North America press page.

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Like anything, the Pokémon Bank will of course come to an end. Still, it would have been nice to see The Pokémon Company keep it alive, even if it was on life support at the time, especially since Nintendo pulled the plug on the eShop.