Want to Become a WiiWare Developer?
There was a lot of buzz about WiiWare on the message boards when it first came out, as if it were something with a low barrier to entry comparable to, say, Microsoft’s XNA.
It’s not, okay guys? WiiWare is just an alternate distribution channel for Wii games, complimenting pressed discs in stores. Since WiiWare games are necessarily smaller in scope and the distribution mechanism doesn’t involve the same financial commitments as discs, Nintendo will certainly approve titles for WiiWare that wouldn’t be worth their while to approve as a UPC to go on shelves, and perhaps will also be willing to take a little more risk with developers who have less proven experience, but that’s about the extent of the difference to regular Wii development.
That said, if you’re an indie game development company leasing commercial office space, with some published titles under your belt (or at least a wildly popular flash games site), and for some inexplicable reason you managed to get that far without knowing where to look for these things, the Nintendo SDSG has a list of requirements and an application form posted on their website.
I hope that helps clear up any confusion.