Wii Shop Cancellation News: Nintendo to Close Digital Store in 2019
Nintendo has recently confirmed they are closing the Wii Shop for good in 2019.
As the digital store's name suggests, it is a platform Nintendo launched to support the Wii and its users back when the console was first released in 2006.
Unfortunately for Wii fans, Nintendo has recently confirmed that the Wii Shop has been given its "end date," which will happen in 2019.
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In a statement posted by Nintendo UK, the company announced: "In 2019, we will close the Wii Shop Channel used on Wii and Wii U (the Wii Shop Channel is accessible on the Wii U via the Wii backwards compatibility feature), which has been available since December 2006."
Luckily, Nintendo has spaced out the cancellation of Wii Shop-related services so affected players can make the necessary adjustments before the Wii Shop completely evaporates into thin air.
"We plan to end all services related to Wii Shop Channel, including the purchase of WiiWare and Virtual Console software, downloads of Wii Channels, and use of the Wii U Transfer Tool, which transfers data from Wii to Wii U," Nintendo added in its statement.
Wii owners can continue adding points to the Wii Shop Channel until Monday, March 26, at 9 p.m. U.K. time or 4 p.m. EDT of the same day.
Meanwhile, affected players can continue buying items from WiiWare, Virtual Console software, and Wii Channels until Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019 at 6 a.m. U.K. time or 1 a.m. EST. They can also avail of free software offers up to the said date. However, it is important to note that Nintendo will allow users to re-download select contents from the said platforms until 2019.
On the other hand, Nintendo has yet to announce specific details on the complete closure of the Wii Shop and re-download options in 2019. The ending of the Wii U transfer tool has also yet to be finalized.
According to reports, over 200 classic titles will be removed along with the closure of the Wii Shop in 2019. This will include early "Final Fantasy" games, "Metal Slug" titles," "Phantasy Star," and more.
