Nintendo to Shut Down Wii Shopping Channel

After 11 years of faithful (and occasionally frustrating) service, Nintendo has announced their plan to shut down the Wii shopping channel. Users would browse a selection of digital games as well as virtual console games for their Wii from this channel using Wii points, a digital currency you would purchase with real money.

Posted to the Japanese Nintendo page was a notice stating that on March 27, 2018, Nintendo would no longer allow users to purchase additional Wii points, and that on Thursday, January 31, 2019, you would no longer be able to purchase any WiiWare or Wii Virtual Console items.

If you own a Wii U, this service will shut down as well within Wii compatible functions. Rest assured that your overall Wii U experience will remain unaltered. You can continue to use "WiiWare" and "Virtual Console" re-download functions, or "Moving from Wii" to move data from Wii to Wii U, but in the future, these services are also scheduled to close. They also specify that you can continue to play the games you've purchased as long as they remain downloaded on your console. This would be the time to invest in a larger SD card for your Wii if you want to hold onto all of your purchases.

It makes me sad to see an integral part of a revolutionary system close down, but as society and technology grow together, we need to make room for the future in gaming. My heart goes out to the Wii.