 The Miiverse icon and logo | |
 TheWii U version of Miiverse's home page after the redesign | |
| Developer | |
|---|---|
| Type | Social network |
| Launch date |
|
| Discontinued | November 8, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-11-08) |
| Last updated | December 10, 2015[1] |
| Platform(s) | |
| Status | Discontinued on November 8, 2017 (all platforms) |
| Website | Official website (no longer exists) |
Miiverse[a] was asocial network forNintendo 3DS andWii U that was created byNintendo System Development andHatena, and powered by theNintendo Network. Integrated into manyvideo games, Miiverse allowed players to interact and share their experiences through handwritten messages or drawings, text, screenshots, and sometimes game videos in dedicated communities.[2] It was available via anyweb browser, and a dedicatedapp version was originally planned fortablets andsmartphones. All users who signed up for a Nintendo Network ID were automatically given a Miiverse profile per account, represented by theMii avatar connected to said Nintendo Network ID.
Miiverse was announced on June 3, 2012, during a pre-E3 2012Nintendo Direct event; the service initially launched on the Wii U on November 18, 2012, and was later made available for the 3DS on December 9, 2013. A web-based portal was opened on April 25, 2013.[3]
Miiverse was discontinued on November 8, 2017, at 10:00 PMPST.[4] The service never launched on theNintendo Switch.[5][b] However, games such asSplatoon 2,Splatoon 3 andSuper Mario Maker 2 include a community messaging feature that is reminiscent of Miiverse's handwritten message/drawing function.[6]
Miiverse allowed users to seamlessly share accomplishments, comments, and handwritten notes with other users. Miiverse was integrated into the system menu of theWii U and3DS, but social interactions would also occur within supported games and applications. A user was able to suspend any game (except forSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS on original models of the 3DS) to access Miiverse functions via the Home menu, and then return to the game at the point it was left. Posts were divided into various 'communities' dedicated to specific games, series, applications, or interests, and players could post the current screenshot from the currently running game to attach to their posts. Certain games, such asSonic Lost World, allowed players to share in-game items with other players via Miiverse. Other games, such asMario Kart 8, let the player unlock virtualstamps that could be used in drawings on Miiverse.[7]
Nintendo's president at Miiverse's launch,Satoru Iwata, stated that the network would be monitored through software as well as ahuman resource team to ensure that the content shared by users was appropriate and that no spoilers were shared. In addition, posting friend codes on the service was not allowed.[8]
On February 7, 2013, the Miiverse Code of Conduct was updated and no longer allowed players under the age of 13 years to directly send or receive friend requests within Miiverse.[9] On April 4, 2013, Miiverse was updated to group communities by category, such as "Wii U Games" and "Virtual Console".[10]
On April 25, 2013, Miiverse became available on Internet-enabledPCs andsmartphones inbeta form, in which some features were not yet supported. However, users could browse communities, write text comments, and like posts (with a "Yeah!").[11] On April 26, an update broughtWii Remote,Wii U Pro Controller andClassic Controller compatibility, which would be used for everything apart from writing posts and comments. The input screen for handwriting was displayed on the TV as well as on theWii U GamePad, so that other users could see what the GamePad user was writing or drawing.[12]
On May 15, 2013, users could attach game screenshots to comments, something that until then could only be done to posts. Additionally, a blocked user could no longer follow the user that blocked them.[13] On May 29, further updates brought some missing features not present in the web version of Miiverse from the Wii U version, such as profile and privacy settings.[14]
On June 12, 2013, the web version of Miiverse was updated that allowed sharing on othersocial media websites, includingFacebook,Twitter,Google+ andTumblr.[15][16] On June 26, the character limit for posts and comments was increased from 100 characters to 200 characters.[17] On July 30, the Wii U and web versions of Miiverse were updated to support tags such as "Question" and "Impressions" to user posts. Tags attached by users are colored blue, as opposed to posts made directly from games which are colored green. Tag availability varies by community. On the Wii U version, the character limit for messages to other users was also changed from 100 to 200 characters.[18]
Following the September 11, 2013 update, users could make posts directly to the Activity Feed. These posts would not appear in any community, but would appear in the users', friends', and followers' activity feeds.[19] On October 1, the Miiversesplashscreen was changed that displayed the current time in major cities around the globe.[20]
On December 9, 2013, the service was launched for the 3DS, along with the implementation of Nintendo Network IDs. Players were unable to submit and manage friend requests or send private messages.[21]
On June 24, 2015, a Miiverse update made all Miiverse restrictions for one user impact all other users on the same console. This was in response to a common tactic of users who were banned simply making another account on the same console.[22]
On July 29, 2015, Miiverse redesigned their service with the following changes: users could post to their "Play Journal," save screenshots in their album, post drawings in a separate section in a community and post discussions if they needed help with completing a level in a game. The redesign also added a daily post limit, in which every user on the network could post up to 30 posts a day. This also removed the ability to post to the activity feed.[23] The redesign did not impact every community, with one notable community left unchanged being New Super Luigi U. This lead to users posting anything that they wanted, within Miiverse's Code of Conduct.[24]
On August 29, 2017, Nintendo of America announced that Miiverse would be permanently discontinued on November 8, 2017.[25][26] Users could request to be sent a copy of all posts and screenshots they had made while using the service, however, replies to said posts would not be included.[27] The service was shut down on November 8, 2017, at 10:00 pm on PST,[28] the same date thatWii U Chat was discontinued.[29]
On January 3, 2018, an unofficialarchive of most of Miiverse's posts, equivalent to almost 17TB, titled "Archiverse" was uploaded.[30][31][32]
After a change to the social media siteX (formerly Twitter) where the Likes tab is hidden from other users, in June 2024, users began replying to an image of the 'Yeah!' button, similarly used on Miiverse to the 'like' button, to tweets to publicly 'like' said tweets.[33]
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