The Wii U isn’t a very good video game console. It’s underpowered, its interface and online functionality are both clunky, and its library of exclusives was largely hit-or-miss. But it did introduce the glorious social network Miiverse, which allowed players to post drawings and other musings for fellow fans to see. Unfortunately, the service won’t be around much longer.
On November 8, the Miiverse will no longer be accessible on either the Wii U or the 3DS. This applies not just to those looking to post new artwork, but also those players hoping to go back and view previous posts. Miiverse features will also be removed from games that made use of them. This means that Super Smash Bros. for Wii U‘s Miiverse stage will no longer display odd, suggestive drawings of Donkey Kong during free-for-all matches. You can decide for yourself if that’s a good thing. Posts will also no longer show up in the plaza on the Wii U’s home screen.
But you’ll luckily still be able to share mankind’s greatest achievements with posterity. By linking a Nintendo Account to your Wii U and visiting the “Post History Download” page of Miiverse on an internet browser, you can request a file from Nintendo containing all of your posts and images.
Miiverse started out as a fairly innocuous service, splitting players from different game communities into separate groups to discuss their favorite Nintendo titles, but it quickly morphed into something else entirely. Game critic Jim Sterling transformed the Rabbids Land community into the “Willem Dafoeverse,” dedicated to fan art of the famous actor, and the Twitter account “Bad Miiverse Posts” even highlights the weirdest things players have submitted, including one fan who only comments on the quality of games’ water.
Miiverse integration was so popular in the original Wii U Splatoon that Nintendo included an art creation tool to replace it in Splatoon 2. It has already turned sufficiently weird, particularly during the recent ketchup vs. mayonnaise Splatfest competition.
What are some of your favorite Miiverse posts? Will you miss the service, or do you think it’s time to move on?
