The Last 3DS Game Ever Released was Soccer Shootout on October 28, 2021

As a longtime Nintendo fanatic and 3DS owner, I‘ve been eagerly tracking releases for the system until the very end. And I can definitively say that Soccer Shootout was the final 3DS game published on October 28, 2021 before the eShop closes in March 2023. Read on as I take a nostalgic look back at an all-time great handheld.

Soccer Shootout – The Final 3DS Cartridge?

You‘d be forgiven for not having Soccer Shootout on your radar – it was a digital-only release developed by Sabec and published by Zordix. This cartoonish soccer game flew completely under the mainstream radar. But with its October 2021 launch, it holds the distinction of being the very last 3DS exclusive ever released!

I have to admit, I‘d never heard of Sabec or Zordix before. And Soccer Shootout frankly looks rough around the edges. But as a 3DS enthusiast, I had to grab it for posterity‘s sake! It may have been a quiet send-off, but it capped off a legendary handheld run.

The Slow Sunset of 3DS Support

Nintendo slowly wound down internal game development for the 3DS in its final years, even as they continued publishing the occasional title. Check out the downward trend:

As you can see, 2017 marked the turning point when releases began rapidly accelerating toward zero. At that point the Nintendo Switch had fully grabbed the market‘s attention. Internally, Nintendo teams shifted to focus exclusively on supporting Switch.

Third parties carried the 3DS for its final years, keeping a trickle of games coming on established handhelds. But eventually even those ran dry until just Soccer Shootout remained.

Why Develop 3DS Games Post-Switch? Raging Fanbases Drive Late Releases

Based on sales trends, why would any publisher have kept making 3DS games after 2017? In a word: fans. Nintendo handhelds amass legions of diehard players who cling to them years after successors release.

The vocal Pokemon community drove 2018‘s Persona Q2 sales, for example. And among soccer sim lovers, FIFA continued annualized releases a year longer than other sports franchises. When fanbases stay loud enough, publishers respond.

But eventually even niche crowds and collect-a-thon completists couldn‘t justify further 3DS development. By 2021, holdouts like Soccer Shootout were either passion projects or last ditch efforts by unknown devs hoping to fill obvious gaps.

The Games That Made 3DS an All-Time Great Handheld

The 3DS amassed a legendary 1,300+ game library across all genres. While too many to name, hits like Super Mario 3D Land, Fire Emblem Awakening, and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D proved Nintendo could still develop generation-defining portable experiences.

• Top 5 Selling 3DS Games
  1. Pokemon X/Y – 16.45M
  2. Pokemon Sun/Moon – 16.18M
  3. Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – 14.27M
  4. Super Mario 3D Land – 12.88M
  5. Mario Kart 7 – 12.75M

And the excellence spanned beyond first-party titles. The RPG library was a true golden era, with games like Shin Megami Tensei IV, Bravely Default, and Dragon Quest VIII setting new portable standards. Even today I consider the 3DS second only to SNES for roleplaying royalty.

My Own Fondest 3DS Gaming Memories and Moments

I distinctly remember the wave of excitement when 3DS visuals took my breath away for the first time. Seeing Mario rendered in true stereoscopic 3D brought back that childhood awe. And glancing next to me on the bus, it was clear everyone was just as stunned and gleeful.

It set the stage for blissful weekends playing knockout portable experiences year after year – reliving old Zelda adventures in 3D, linking my Pokemon journey with friends, and losing hours to Animal Crossing: New Leaf during college study sessions I couldn‘t afford to squander.

In recent years, the international StreetPass community kept that magic alive even as official game releases declined. And to me, 3DS games still represent the pinnacle of mobile gaming comfort and immersion. I‘ll continue replaying my collection with fond memories long after the eShop shuts down.

Will Physical 3DS Cartridges Still Function Post-eShop?

This is a question on every 3DS fan‘s mind: after March 2023 when the eShop closes, will our physical 3DS, DS and DSi cartridges still work? Thankfully, the answer is yes! Once downloaded and activated, every game will remain playable indefinitely.

Some titles do require one-time installation steps or game patches via the eShop initially. So my recommendation is to activate and update every game in your collection before the March deadline, just to be safe. As long as you do that, your game functionality should continue unaffected.

The only losses will be:

• Online multiplayer
• Re-downloading digital titles
• Purchasing DLC

So while the ability to buy new games or DLC will disappear, your physical collection is safe for the years ahead. Nintendo just sent your backlog playtime through the roof!

Will We Ever See New 3DS Games After the eShop Sunset?

While highly unlikely, there is a scenario where original 3DS game development sporadically resumes after 2023‘s digital storefront closure:

Physical-Only Releases

Without the eShop, studios would have to manufacture and physically distribute cartridges for potential new 3DS titles. And with a capped, shrinking 3DS owner base, production runs would need to be tiny – we‘re talking limited print indie games.

But niche developers could potentially still fill obvious holes for disenfranchised fanbases, especially in Japan where portables remain wildly popular. After all, the PS Vita saw a few straggler releases over the past couple years despite being discontinued in 2019.

In reality though, with Nintendo shifting resources away from aging hardware, we‘ll almost surely never see first-party 3DS releases again as the system enters full legacy mode. But third party surprises are still possible!

Closing Thoughts on the 3DS Lifespan and Its Gaming Legacy

Looking back, the 3DS era represents a highlight for portable gaming – pushing powerful immersive experiences into the palms of our hands at a previously impossible fidelity. Its backward compatibility with earlier Nintendo handhelds also set a new high watermark for respecting players‘ existing libraries across generations.

And while its successor in the Nintendo Switch drew attention in the 3DS‘s final years, it still amazingly managed to shift over 75 million units during a remarkably long life cycle spanning 2011-2020. Few systems in history have matched that longevity.

So pour one out for the 3DS as its eShop rides off into the sunset soon. We‘ll sorely miss you, old friend. Here‘s hoping Nintendo‘s next handheld can recapture some of that magic which kept us enchanted for over a decade. Thanks for the memories, 3DS!

So that covers the full scoop on the 3DS‘s final game release and what we can expect next for the legendary portable platform now that it has one foot in the retirement home. Let me know your own favorite 3DS memories or if you have any other questions!

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