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The Wii Shop Channel Is Shutting Down in 2019

After a more than 12-year run.

Wii Shop is closing down

Nintendo has announced plans to shut down the Wii Shop. But consumers who still want to buy Wii games have a bit of time to do so yet, as Nintendo won’t be shutting down the online shop of its most popular console of all time until January 31, 2019.

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Anyone Wii owners who don’t have the funds in their accounts to make any purchases they want will, however, need to do so within the next five months. Nintendo will cease selling Wii points, the shop’s currency, on March 27, 2018. Owners who aren’t able to spend all currency in their accounts prior to the January 31, 2019 store closure will have their Wii Point, Wii Point Prepaid Card, and/or Nintendo Point Prepaid Card purchases refunded.

Nintendo wrote that it is “very sorry” for all Wii Shop users and that it appreciates their patronage.

The Wii Shop first opened in December 2006 following the Wii’s November 2006 launch. The console immediately took off and exceeded all expectations, eventually surpassing 100 million sales and becoming Nintendo’s best-selling home console of all time.

Although it did not announce any dates, Nintendo added that it also plans to eventually shut down the Wii Ware, virtual console, and Wii Moving from Wii services.

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About the author

Nick Santangelo

Nick has been a gamer since the 8-bit days and has been reporting on the games industry since 2011. Don't interrupt him while he's questing through an RPG or desperately clinging to hope against all reason that his Philly sports teams will win something.

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