Nintendo lifts European eShop restrictions

Nintendo of Europe today confirmed to Eurogamer that it has lifted restrictions on 18+ games sold through the Wii U and 3DS eShops. As revealed in December, users were previously only able to browse and purchase these titles between the hours of 11 p.m. and 3 a.m due to a German youth protection law.

"Following analysis of the Parental Controls system on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in cooperation with USK, the German Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body, it was deemed that Nintendo's Parental Control system is of very high quality and offers a remarkable level of protection for children," a Nintendo statement reads. "Nintendo's Parental Control system was found to have proved itself in practice."

The Wii U launched in Europe on November 30 and has sold over 3 million units worldwide through December. In the United States, the Wii U reportedly sold only 57,000 units in January and 64,000 systems in February. Nintendo has yet to officially update Wii U sales.