WiiWare Launches In North America

Officials from Nintendo have confirmed the launch of the WiiWare download service in North America today, with six titles initially available for download. In a similar manner to the non-retro titles on Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, WiiWare includes original downloadable titles from both established publishers and developers and smaller independent studios. The games will be available via the existing WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel, previously used only for core non-game related applications such as the Internet Channel and the recently launched Nintendo Channel. New WiiWare games will be added on Mondays, with users able to add reviews and read information on titles on the Nintendo Channel. The WiiWare service first launched in Japan on March 25th and is due to begin in Europe on May 20th. The six initial games available today are as follows: Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles – My Life as a King (Square Enix) – 1,500 Wii Points/$15 LostWinds (Frontier Development) – 1,000 Wii Points/$10 TV Show King (Gameloft) – 1,000 Wii Points/$10 Pop (Nnooo) – 700 Wii Points/$7 V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack (High Voltage Software) – 700 Wii Points/$7 Defend your Castle (XGen Studios) – 500 Wii Points/$5 “WiiWare is to the video game industry what independent films are to Hollywood,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “WiiWare lets developers experiment with new ideas and experiences. Combined with our collection of classic Virtual Console games, Wii provides one-stop shopping for the greatest games of the past – and the future.”