Nintendo Shutting Down Wii U and 3DS eShop for 12 Hours

If you’ve been having difficulties connecting to the eShop on either your 3DS or Wii U, you’re not alone. The Nintendo services have been bogged down since Christmas, and now Nintendo has decided to institute a scheduled maintenance period in order to clean up the mess as well as the company can. Unfortunately for anyone interesting in playing some online Nintendo games today, the work will last for 12 full hours.

“We sincerely apologize for the connection problems in the Nintendo eShop. We understand this is taking longer than expected, but we can assure you that providing a solution is our top priority,” Nintendo wrote on its Facebook page. “We are determined to make sure everyone can enjoy all that Wii U and Nintendo 3DS have to offer. In an effort to manage the high volume of traffic and ultimately improve your experience, we are temporarily taking the Nintendo eShop services offline between the hours of 4 p.m. – 4 a.m. ET. Thank you so much for your continued patience. We will keep you updated.”

Much of this eShop traffic has come from all the new devices gifted throughout the holidays. Look to hear more on Nintendo’s servers in the coming days.