HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

WiiWare was a service that allowed
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...
users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...
. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the
Wii Shop Channel The Wii Shop Channel is a former digital distribution service for the Wii video game console. The service allowed users to purchase and play additional software for the Wii (called Channels), including exclusive games (branded WiiWare), and game ...
under the WiiWare section. Once the user had downloaded the game or application, it would appear in their
Wii Menu The Wii Menu is the graphical shell of the Wii and Wii U game console, as part of the Wii system software. It has four pages, each with a 4:3 grid, and each displaying the current time and date. Available applications, known as "channels", are ...
or SD Card Menu as a new channel. WiiWare was a companion to the
Virtual Console A virtual console (VC) – also known as a virtual terminal (VT) – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, BSD, illumos, Unix ...
, which specializes in emulated games originally developed for other systems instead of original games. WiiWare was promoted as an avenue for developers with small budgets to release innovative, original, and smaller-scale games without the cost and risk of creating a title to be sold at retail (akin to
Xbox Live Arcade Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) is a digital video game download service available through the Xbox Games Store, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360. It focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent ...
and the
PlayStation Store The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable content ...
). The development kit cost around US$2000 and developers needed to be licensed with and approved by Nintendo. According to Nintendo, the "remarkable
motion controls In video games and entertainment systems, a motion controller is a type of game controller that uses accelerometers or other sensors to Motion capture, track motion and provide input. History Motion controllers using accelerometers are used as c ...
will give birth to fresh takes on established genres, as well as original ideas that currently exist only in developers' minds". Nintendo handled all pricing options for the downloadable games. Like Virtual Console games, WiiWare content was purchased using
Wii Points The Wii Shop Channel is a former digital distribution service for the Wii video game console. The service allowed users to purchase and play additional software for the Wii (called Channels), including exclusive games (branded WiiWare), and game ...
. However, unlike Virtual Console games, instruction manuals were stored on the Wii Shop Channel itself. Unlike its portable equivalent
DSiWare This is a list of games and applications, collectively known as DSiWare, for the Nintendo DSi handheld game console, available for download via the DSi Shop and unplayable on earlier DS models. An update released for the Nintendo 3DS in June 2011 ...
, WiiWare games are currently unavailable natively via the
Nintendo eShop The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service powered by the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, and by a dedicated online infrastructure for the Nintendo Switch. Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was en ...
. However, WiiWare games were purchasable and fully playable on the
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...
console – the Wii's successor – via Wii Mode. Ever since the Wii U launched in November 2012 with its vastly improved Nintendo eShop digital distribution, in comparison to the DSiWare Shop, the Wii Shop Channel had very rarely seen brand new WiiWare releases. , the Wii Shop Channel has received the global release of ''
Retro City Rampage ''Retro City Rampage'' is an action-adventure game developed by Vblank Entertainment. It is a parody of retro games and 1980s and 1990s pop culture, as well as ''Grand Theft Auto'' and similar games. It was first released for PlayStation 3, Play ...
'' (February 2013), the global re-release of a retail Wii game called ''
Deer Drive Legends ''Deer Drive Legends'' is a three-dimensional hunting video game, developed by Raylight s.r.l. This 3D hunting game was published by Maximum Games and released on the Nintendo 3DS in May 2012 for both retail and download via Nintendo eShop. It w ...
'' (November 2013), and the North American re-release of a retail Wii game called ''
Karaoke Joysound ''Karaoke Joysound Wii'' (カラオケJOYSOUND Wii) is a karaoke video game by Hudson Soft for Wii. It licenses the ''Joysound'' online song library from Japanese karaoke service provider Xing, who also helped co-develop the game with Hudson. Th ...
'' (July 2014). On September 29, 2017, with the announcement of the Wii Shop Channel being closed on January 30, 2019, the WiiWare games on the Wii (as well as the backwards compatibility on the Wii U) can no longer be purchased. Until further notice, users can continue to re-download and/or transfer WiiWare titles.


Games

The WiiWare service was officially launched on March 25, 2008, in Japan, on May 12, 2008, in North America, and on May 20, 2008, in the PAL/UK regions. On October 10, 2007, Nintendo held a press conference in Japan revealing the first batch of major Japanese WiiWare games including ''
My Pokémon Ranch is a Pokémon video game developed for the Wii by Ambrella. ''My Pokémon Ranch'' was released via the WiiWare download service on March 25, 2008, in Japan, in the Americas on June 9, 2008, and in Europe on July 4, 2008. Internationally, this g ...
'', ''
Dr. Mario Online Rx ''Dr. Mario Online Rx'', stylized as ' and released in PAL regions as ''Dr. Mario & Germ Buster'', is a puzzle video game starring Dr. Mario. It was one of the WiiWare launch games in Japan, Europe, and Australia, and was released on March 25, ...
'', and
Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', ''Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game ...
's '' Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King''. The conference also disclosed information on ''
Family Table Tennis ''Family Table Tennis'' (''Okiraku Ping Pong Wii'' in Japan) is a table tennis video game developed by Arc System Works for the Wii and Nintendo 3DS. It was released as a WiiWare launch title in Japan on March 25, 2008, and on May 26, 2008 in No ...
'', ''
Mojipittan is a series of Japanese word puzzle video games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, formerly Namco. The series began in arcades with ''Kotoba no Puzzle: Mojipittan'' in 2001, and has seen multiple sequels for several platforms, ...
'', '' Maruboushikaku'', and '' Magnetica Twist''. Game developer
Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...
also announced 3 WiiWare titles: ''
Bomberman Blast ''Bomberman Blast'' is an action game developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Wii and WiiWare as part of the ''Bomberman'' franchise. The game was released as two versions: a fully featured retail release and a WiiWare version known as ...
'', '' Star Soldier R'', and '' Joysound'', the latter a
karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...
game. Hudson later revealed that it had at least 10 WiiWare titles in development for the first year of release.
Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
,
Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...
,
Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...
,
Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...
and
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
also subsequently announced and later released games for the service. Among Western developers,
Telltale Games Telltale Incorporated (trade name: Telltale Games) was an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. The company was founded in July 2004 by former LucasArts developers Kevin Bruner, Dan Connors and Troy Molander, following ...
was one of the first to cite interest in the service, announcing the episodic ''
Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People ''Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People'' is an episodic graphic adventure developed by Telltale Games and based on the ''Homestar Runner'' web cartoon, with Strong Bad as the lead character. A total of five episodes were released for ...
'' series of adventure games.
GarageGames GarageGames was a game technology and software developer. GarageGames was the parent company of GG Interactive, developers of educational technology in the areas of computer science, video game development and programming. In addition, the com ...
has released a version of their game engine to support WiiWare software development. Other Western developers releasing WiiWare games include
Gameloft Gameloft SE is a French video game publisher based in Paris, founded in December 1999 by Ubisoft co-founder Michel Guillemot. The company operates 18 development studios worldwide, and publishes games with a special focus on the mobile games ma ...
,
Neko Entertainment Neko Entertainment was a French video game developer and publisher located in a suburb of Paris, France. It was founded in 1999. Neko's productions are based on an evolutionary development platform for 3D consoles called the Neko Game Development ...
,
WayForward Technologies WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as ...
,
Zoonami Zoonami was a video game development company, founded in 1998 by Martin Hollis, the director and producer of '' GoldenEye 007''. He left Rare shortly before ''Perfect Dark'' was released while other members of the ''GoldenEye 007'' team formed ...
, Frozen Codebase and
High Voltage Software High Voltage Software, Inc. (HVS) is an American video game developer based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Founded in April 1993 by Kerry J. Ganofsky, the company is best known for developing ''Lego Racers'' (1999), '' Hunter: The Reckoning'' ...
.
Konami , is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company, video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machin ...
and
Capcom is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
has also expressed desire to release Western-exclusive WiiWare games. Upon the service's shutdown, WiiWare games in Japan and North America were priced between 500 and 1500 Nintendo Points. Additional
downloadable content Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
had been announced for several games, with ''My Life as a King'' seeing extra content priced between 100 and 800 Points, '' Final Fantasy IV: The After Years'' receiving content ranging from 300 to 800 Points, and ''
Mega Man 9 ''Mega Man 9'' is a 2008 action-platform video game developed by Capcom and Inti Creates. It is the ninth numbered game in the original ''Mega Man'' series (Or tenth game overall when including ''Mega Man & Bass''). ''Mega Man 9'' is the firs ...
'' and '' 10'' seeing content priced between 100 and 500 Points.


Criticism

Martin Hollis, founder of
Zoonami Zoonami was a video game development company, founded in 1998 by Martin Hollis, the director and producer of '' GoldenEye 007''. He left Rare shortly before ''Perfect Dark'' was released while other members of the ''GoldenEye 007'' team formed ...
, has accused Nintendo of inadequately promoting the WiiWare service: :"
Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
have had such massive success in capturing media attention – they've sucked all of the air out of it, I don't know that Nintendo's putting a great deal of energy into trying to generate PR for WiiWare or DSiWare." Other developers have criticised the 40MB size limit imposed on games on the service; the WiiWare version of '' Super Meat Boy'' was cancelled after the developer refused to compromise on quality in order to pass under the size limit. Trent Oster of
Beamdog IdeaSpark Labs Inc. (trade name: Beamdog) is a Canadian video game developer founded in 2009 by BioWare co-founder Trent Oster and former BioWare lead programmer Cameron Tofer. Beamdog's distribution service was launched in July 2010. History ...
, who released ''
MDK2 ''MDK2'' is a 2000 third-person shooter, Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed by BioWare and published by Interplay Entertainment for the Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Windows and PlayStation 2. It is a sequel to the 1997 ...
'' on the service also criticised the file size limit, in addition to the lengthy
certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
process and the minimum sales requirement of 6,000 units before receiving any payment from Nintendo. For Brian Provinciano, the developer of ''
Retro City Rampage ''Retro City Rampage'' is an action-adventure game developed by Vblank Entertainment. It is a parody of retro games and 1980s and 1990s pop culture, as well as ''Grand Theft Auto'' and similar games. It was first released for PlayStation 3, Play ...
'', the threshold was 5,000 units, which the game failed to hit.


References

{{Wii Wii Computer-related introductions in 2008 Products introduced in 2008 Products and services discontinued in 2019