Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Nintendo Shuts Down "Limited Time" WiiWare Demos
Back in November, we learned that Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata wanted to offer demos for WiiWare games in hopes of improving sales on the service, an experiment that soon came to pass. As of the end of January, though, that experiment is done.
All available WiiWare demos were removed from the service on January 31. When questioned about the removals, a Nintendo representative told Joystiq, "From the start, the demo program was always planned to be available for a limited time on a trial basis."
Iwata had originally stated his hopes that the demo program would help sales of WiiWare games pick up. Does this sudden and very quick direction change mean that it didn't help as much as Nintendo wanted? Or did they even test demos long enough to accurately figure out if it works?
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
