With the 3DS and Wii U eShops closing, players are wondering if the Pokemon Bank is shutting down too. Given that users can transfer Pokemon from the first seven generations of the games to the Pokemon Bank, there’s plenty to be nervous about. Some players have 20 years’ worth of Pokemon sitting in the bank and might not have the ability (or desire) to move them to Pokemon Home.
Is the Pokemon Bank shutting down with the 3DS eShop?
The Pokemon Bank won’t shut down when the 3DS eShop closes in March 2023. In fact, it’ll be free after that date. The official website states that in late March 2023, when the eShop closes, the bank will continue services free of charge.
There is a catch, though. Since the eShop will be closed, the Bank and Poke Transporter apps will be unavailable to those who haven’t downloaded them before. Those who downloaded them in the past should be able to re-download them, but new users won’t be able to access the services.
There’s no end date announced for service, and users will be able to continue moving Pokemon as usual. The announcement didn’t state that any of the games would be affected by the eShop’s closure, so it’ll continue to be business as usual as far as functionality is concerned. Users should still be able to move creatures to Pokemon Home as well, so there’s still plenty of time to do so for those that haven’t already.
It’s hard to believe it’s been eight years since the Pokemon Bank debuted. Since then, millions of Pokemon have passed through it on their way to other games or to Pokemon Home, and we’ll hopefully see millions more make their way through it in the future. Luckily, the service is at no risk of closing for now.
