Wii Shop Channel Closure Q&A
Wii Shop Channel Closure
Time Details: Thursday, 31 January 2019 at 17:00 AEDT
What are the key dates for this change?
26 February, 2018: The day it was announced that the Wii Shop will close in 2019.
27 March, 2018: The last day to have purchased points in the Wii Shop or redeem Points Cards in the Wii Shop.
31 January, 2019: The last day to have purchased software in the Wii Shop.
In the future, we will be closing all services related to the Wii Shop Channel, including redownloading purchased WiiWare, Virtual Console titles, and Wii Channel, as well as Wii System Transfer Tool, which transfers data from Wii to the Wii U system.
Why is Nintendo no longer supporting the Wii Shop Channel?
Now that customers have shifted to Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS family systems, we plan to focus our efforts in those areas. As such, the Wii Shop Channel closed in 2019 after over twelve years of operation. We sincerely thank our loyal customers for supporting the Wii Shop Channel on their Wii systems. Please note that content downloaded on the Wii Shop Channel can be transferred to a Wii U system using the Wii System Transfer Tool.
Can users still play WiiWare games that they already purchased?
Yes. The ability to re-download WiiWare and Virtual Console games will also stop at some point. We will announce specific details as that time approaches.
When will all Wii Shop Channel services (including the ability to re-download) be terminated?
Users were able to add Wii Points until 27 March, 2018, and they were able to purchase content on the Wii Shop Channel until 31 January, 2019. In the future we will be closing all services related to the Wii Shop Channel, including the ability to redownload WiiWare and Virtual Console games, as well as the Wii System Transfer Tool, which transfers data from Wii to the Wii U system. We will announce specific details as that time approaches.
What happens to Wii Points that haven't been used?
Since the original announcement in September 2017, we encouraged people to spend any unused Wii Points before the Wii Shop Channel closed on January 30, 2019.
Refunds of Wii Points are not possible.
Wii Points cannot be used to fund a Nintendo eShop account or Nintendo Account.
How can users transfer WiiWare and Virtual Console content to a newer system?
For details on how to transfer Wii Shop Channel content to a Wii U system, please see this support page.
Please be aware that the ability to transfer will be removed at some point in the future. We will make an announcement with specific details as that time approaches.
Will users still be able to purchase WiiWare games after the Wii Shop closes?
Some WiiWare games are available via Nintendo eShop on Wii U systems. Be sure to check out the Virtual Console offerings on Nintendo eShop for your favourite classic games.