Nintendo's 'eShop Selects' series will bring Wii U digital titles to stores in Eurpoe

By Danny Cowan Published July 30, 2016

Your favorite Wii U eShop games are headed for a retail upgrade, as Nintendo announced that it will release physical versions of Fast Racing Neo, SteamWorld Heist, and SteamWorld Dig as part of its newly launched “Nintendo eShop Selects” series.

The first entries in Nintendo’s eShop Selects series are due to hit store shelves in Europe in September. A North American launch date for Nintendo’s expanded retail lineup is not yet known.

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Shin’en Multimedia’s futuristic racer Fast Racing Neo is first in line for Nintendo’s new digital-to-retail initiative. Inspired by classic racers like F-Zero and the Wipeout series, Fast Racing Neo features a four-player split-screen mode and an online multiplayer mode that supports up to eight players across a series of gravity-defying tracks.

Fast Racing Neo‘s retail release will also bundle all expanded content featured in the upcoming Neo Future Pack DLC, including eight new racetracks, 10 additional vehicle profiles, and expanded soundtrack options. Players who purchased the eShop version of Fast Racing Neo will be able to download the Neo Future Pack DLC starting September 30.

Nintendo’s second inaugural eShop Selects release is SteamWorld Collection, a retail package that bundles Image & Form’s SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt with its recently launched sequel, SteamWorld Heist.

Originally released in 2013, SteamWorld Dig is a side-scrolling action game in which players must plumb the depths of a desert planet in search of valuable ore. SteamWorld Heist shifts the series in a more strategic direction with turn-based shootouts that require players to calculate how their bullets will ricochet off of the surrounding environment before striking enemies.

SteamWorld Collection also marks the Wii U debut of SteamWorld Heist, which previously launched for the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, and PC platforms. A digital version will be available via the eShop later this year.

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Nintendo’s eShop closures are a necessary, but messy move

A Nintendo Wii U gamepad flat on a table.

Nintendo last week announced its intentions to shut down the Wii U and 3DS eShops, the systems' digital storefronts, in March 2023. This decision was disappointing for hardcore fans who stuck with Nintendo during that rocky era and extremely worrying as many of the games available on the platforms won't be preserved.
More significant Wii U games and a handful of 3DS titles were ported to Switch, but many titles are still stuck on those systems and can’t be ported. Once the digital storefront shutdowns, digital-only titles will be gone forever, and physical copies of these titles will get more expensive and harder to experience. Fans and game preservationists have not been pleased by this decision, with the Video Game History Foundation giving the most candid response.
https://twitter.com/GameHistoryOrg/status/1494398068346654720
Following this announcement, Digital Trends spoke to an industry analyst and game preservationists to get a better idea of what exactly caused Nintendo to shut down these stores and to learn how it could do a better job at preserving its legacy.
Why is Nintendo shutting down the 3DS and Wii eShops?
Officially, Nintendo’s FAQ on the eShop closures says “this is part of the natural life cycle for any product line as it becomes less used by consumers over time." The answer doesn’t get into specifics and might confuse those still playing games on the system or fans of games only available on Wii U or 3DS. Omdia Principal Analyst Matthew Bailey explains Nintendo’s user base argument in more detail, highlighting the massive gap between the number of people playing the Switch as opposed to the Wii U.
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Unfortunately, Nintendo doesn’t see that as possible due to cost and security issues. Game Over Thrity, a Twitter user with over 20 years of experience working on IT projects and infrastructure, shed some light on what might have influenced Nintendo’s decision-making in a thread.
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With every passing year, the Wii U and 3DS eShops likely became more expensive to maintain and an increased security risk for the video game publisher. Instead of investing the time and resources into pleasing a smaller amount of players, the easier option is to turn everything off entirely. While he isn’t affiliated with Nintendo, Game Over Thirty’s assessment aligns with what we’ve heard from Nintendo and Omdia.
"The Wii U’s global active installed base will drop under one million in 2022."

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Photos of the 3DS eShops

Nintendo has announced the end of its eShop service for the Wii U console and 3DS handheld. The eShop will stay live on those devices until late March 2023, after which players will no longer be able to purchase games or download eShop apps and services for those devices.

After the closure, players will still be able to redownload games and DLC that they already own, use online play, and download software updates.

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The game has been rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5, although the teams at both Bethesda and Virtuos said little about the core of the game has changed. It remains the Oblivion you remember; it just looks and plays better, with a much wider range of technical ability than the disc-based game of 2006. That said, it has several quality-of-life improvements that will make it easier for gamers used to modern mechanics.