Nintendo has announced plans to retire its Wi-Fi Connection service worldwide on May 20, 2014, terminating the online multiplayer features of all Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii titles.

The decision means that players will no longer be able to access the online functionality of Wii and DS titles, including online multiplayer, matchmaking and leaderboards.

Online play for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS titles remains unaffected, although players won't be able to access online multiplayer for Wii games played via Wii U mode or DS games played on 3DS.

"Our focus now shifts to readying our Wii U and Nintendo 3DS matchmaking services for upcoming games such as Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros," said Nintendo in a statement provided to Polygon.

"We at Nintendo sincerely thank our fans for their continued support of our company's legacy systems. Your enthusiasm for games made for these systems speaks to their longevity, and the passion of Nintendo fans."

Some of the consoles' online services will remain active, however, including the Nintendo DSi Shop, Wii Shop Channel, YouTube and Internet Channel. For a full list of unaffected services, head through to Nintendo's website.

Source: polygon.com, nintendo.com.au