Sad news today folks: Nintendo is shutting down the brilliant Miiverse on November 7th. The Wii U era really has come to an end.
What’s more, the company has stated that there are no plans to offer a future version of Miiverse on the Switch, or indeed, a similar service down the line.
Nintendo of America answered the following questions about the end of Miiverse on their site:
Why are you shutting down Miiverse?
We started the Miiverse service in 2012 along with the launch of the Wii U system because we wanted to provide a space where users could share their feelings about games with each other. Thanks to users’ support throughout the years, we think we were able to achieve that goal. We decided to end the service at this time because, among other reasons, many users are shifting to social networking services.
Users can download their old Miiverse posts (without comments or messages from others) by visiting http://miiverse.nintendo.net and registering before the Miiverse service ends on Nov. 7, 2017 at 10 p.m. PT. Once registered, users will receive an e-mail via Nintendo Account mail a few weeks after the Miiverse service ends, which will include a unique URL to download their past Miiverse posts.
When will the Miiverse service end?
- Nov. 7, 2017, at 10 p.m. PT
- Once the Miiverse service ends, users will not be able to access Miiverse on Wii U, any of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems or an Internet browser on PCs and smart devices.
Will the Miiverse icon still be displayed on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS Home Menu?
- Yes. The Miiverse icon will continue to appear, but an error message will be displayed when it is pressed.
Many games use Miiverse as a major gameplay feature, including Super Mario Maker for Wii U. What happens to those games when Miiverse shuts down?
- Super Mario Maker (Wii U): Users will still be able to share levels, but will no longer be able to comment on them.
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars (Wii U, Nintendo 3DS): While users will still be able to play Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars and complete all 88 levels in the main game, the Community feature will be discontinued, preventing players from sharing levels and receiving additional Stars. As there will be a limit to the number of Stars that can be obtained, not all objects may be unlocked from the Workshop.
- Splatoon (Wii U): Miiverse posts will no longer display in Inkopolis Plaza or the game’s stage maps.
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (Wii U, Nintendo 3DS): The Miiverse stage will still be playable, but Miiverse user posts will not display in the background. Players will also be unable to post replays to YouTube/Miiverse, share stages or create tournaments.
- Mario Kart 8 (Wii U): Players will not be able to upload game-play videos to YouTube since they also post to Miiverse at the same time. The tournament function will also not be available.
- Super Mario 3D World (Wii U): In Super Mario 3D World, the Miiverse posts that appear on the course select screen and when selecting courses will disappear. Players will still be able to collect in-game stamps, but not post them to Miiverse.
- Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U): In Xenoblade Chronicles X, the BLADE report feature will no longer be available.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars will be losing major features. Will you continue selling the game?
Yes, the game will continue to be sold. Users will still be able to complete all 88 levels in the main game, and create and play their own levels locally.
Will Miiverse posts still display in Wara Wara Plaza on Wii U?
Moving forward, default Miiverse posts that appear during offline mode will be displayed in Wara Wara Plaza.
Will Wii U Chat still function after the closure of Miiverse?
The Wii U Chat service will be discontinued with Miiverse on Nov. 7, 2017, at 10 p.m. PT.
Can users still view their old Miiverse posts once the service is shut down?
Users can download their old Miiverse posts (without comments or messages from others) by visiting http://miiverse.nintendo.net and registering before the Miiverse service ends on Nov. 7, 2017, at 10 p.m. PT. Once registered, users will receive an e-mail via Nintendo Account mail a few weeks after the Miiverse service ends, which will include a unique URL to download their past Miiverse posts.
Will there be a similar service to replace Miiverse on Nintendo Switch?
Currently, Nintendo has no plans to implement any services to replace Miiverse, but the Nintendo Switch system includes features for connecting with Facebook and other social networking services.
END
There you have it. What a brutal end to one of the friendliest virtual places on earth. Make sure you register ASAP to have a copy of your old Miiverse posts, and silly drawings, before they’re gone forever.
It’s a piece of gaming history after all…
As for the decision from Nintendo to do this? In our view, it’s way too soon considering the Switch has only been out since March. Miiverse was an innovative take on social media, and it deserved a lot more than this. The fact there seems to be no future plans for the service, in any form, only makes it worse.