Club Nintendo: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{Short description|~~Set of journals and~~Defunct customer loyalty program ~~provided~~ by Nintendo}}

{{Infobox video game online service

|title = Club Nintendo

|logo = ~~Club Nintendo logo.svg~~

|logo_size = 200px

|logo_alt =

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|type = [[Loyalty program]]

|launched = {{vgrelease|EU|May 3, 2002}}{{vgrelease|JP|October 31, 2003}}{{vgrelease|AUS|April 24, 2008}}{{vgrelease|NA|October 2, 2008}}

|discontinued = June 30th, 2015 (North America), September 30th, 2015 (Europe, Australia, and Japan)

|updated =

|platform =

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}}

'''Club Nintendo''' was a [[customer loyalty program]] formerly provided by [[Nintendo]]. The loyalty program was free to join and provided rewards in exchange for consumer feedback and loyalty to purchasing official Nintendo products. Members of Club Nintendo earned credits or "coins" by submitting codes found on Nintendo products and systems, which could be traded in for special edition items only available on Club Nintendo. Rewards included objects such as playing cards, tote bags, controllers, downloadable content, and warranty extensions on select Nintendo products.

On January 20, 2015, it was announced that Club Nintendo would be discontinued in North America on June 30, 2015, and in Europe and Japan on September 30, 2015, due to an upcoming new loyalty program. ''[[Flipnote Studio 3D]]'' later became available to all North American Club Nintendo members for free for a limited time, and users who signed up to the European version of the new loyalty program during the launch period received Flipnote Studio 3D for free.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://club2.nintendo.com/program-notice/ |title=Nintendo.com – Club Nintendo Program Notice |website=Club2.nintendo.com |date=2015-01-20 |access-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501202603/http://club2.nintendo.com/program-notice/ |archive-date=2017-05-01 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/News/2015/January/Important-information-about-the-discontinuation-of-Club-Nintendo-949921.html |title=Important information about the discontinuation of Club Nintendo | News |publisher=Nintendo |access-date=2017-04-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/support/information/2015/0120.html |title=「クラブニンテンドー」サービス終了のお知らせ｜サポート情報｜Nintendo |website=Nintendo.co.jp |access-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315172513/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/support/information/2015/0120.html |archive-date=2017-03-15 }}</ref>

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== Publications ==

=== Europe ===

In [[Europe]], ''Club Nintendo'' was the name of three magazines which started publishing in 1989. The European version was published in several languages, and there were separate publications for [[Germany]], [[Spain]], [[Greece]], [[Switzerland]], [[France]], [[Belgium]], [[Luxembourg]], the [[Netherlands]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nevertrust |date=2017-02-18 |title=Club Nintendo magazine |url=https://nintendo-museum.fr/club-nintendo-magazine/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927181249/https://nintendo-museum.fr/club-nintendo-magazine/ |archive-date=Sep 27, 2023 |website=Nintendo Museum}}</ref> [[Portugal]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Club Nintendo |url=http://archive.org/details/nintendo1 |title=Revista Club Nintendo nº1 (Portugal) |date=1990}}</ref> [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], [[Norway]], [[Finland]], [[Italy]], [[Hungary]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=club_nintendo_magazin_1994 |url=https://retroujsag.com/borito_muzeum/club_nintendo/club_nintendo_magazin_1994-01.jpg ~~{{Bare~~|url-status=live ~~URL~~|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216030118/https://retroujsag.com/borito_muzeum/club_nintendo/club_nintendo_magazin_1994-01.jpg ~~image~~|archive-date=~~March~~Dec ~~2022~~16, 2023 |website=Retroújság}}</ref> [[Slovenia]] ~~and~~, [[Czech Republic]]., [[Slovakia]]<ref>{{Cite magazine |page=11|date=11 March 1994|title=Chces se dozvedet vice o Nintendo ? Chces se naučit triky u nekterych her ? Kup si nebo objednej casopis Nintendo Club !|issue=13/38|magazine=ABC|publisher=Czech News Center}}</ref> and [[South Africa]]. All were later discontinued and eventually replaced. The last German issue was published in August 2002.<ref name="silius1">{{cite web |url=http://nesfountain.silius.net/clubnintendo.shtml |title=Account Suspended |website=Nesfountain.silius.net |access-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065509/http://nesfountain.silius.net/clubnintendo.shtml |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref>

=== Latin America ===

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=== Europe {{anchor|nintendo_vip}} ===

Club Nintendo in [[Europe]] was launched as '''Nintendo VIP 24:7''' on May 3, 2002, to coincide with the European launch of the [[~~Nintendo~~ GameCube]]. It promised exclusive news, reviews, previews and forums to members. However, because released titles are often delayed in European countries (usually due to localization), the exclusive features could be often found elsewhere on the Internet.<ref>{{cite web~~|url=http://www.gamingworldx.com/features/AcrossthePondEuropeanGamec.shtml~~ |title=GamingWorld – X Clusive Across the Pond: European Gamecube Launch Special |~~access-date~~url=~~2017-04-26~~http://www.gamingworldx.com/features/AcrossthePondEuropeanGamec.shtml |url-status=~~bot: unknown~~dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019021843/http://www.gamingworldx.com/features/AcrossthePondEuropeanGamec.shtml |archive-date=2006-10-19 |access-date=2017-04-26 |website=GamingWorld - X}}</ref> To coincide with the release of the [[Wii]], VIP 24:7 was renamed to Club Nintendo and adopted the Japanese Club Nintendo logo.

The Club Nintendo of Europe featured a Star Points system, where members could exchange stars earned by registering games and consoles for items in the Stars Catalogue, and for [[Wii Points]] to use in the [[Wii Shop Channel]], which were available only in sets of 100, 300, 500 and 1000 Points.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nintendo Europe Wii Points Card Shop |title=Wii Points Card Shop |publisher=Nintendo |date=2007-12-07 |url=https://wiipointscard.nintendo-europe.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121217164816/https://wiipointscard.nintendo-europe.com/ |archive-date=2012-12-17 }}</ref> Originally, a maximum of two Wii Points Cards per day and per account were available for purchase; this later changed to one a day.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://wiipointscard.nintendo-europe.com/faq/uk_faq.html |title=Nintendo Points Card Shop FAQ GB |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121217165150/https://wiipointscard.nintendo-europe.com/faq/uk_faq.html |archive-date=17 December 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Starting in September 2008, stars could also be used to buy singles and albums at the music online store, emusu.com, a website of which has shutdown.

Members enter PIN codes found on inserts included with certain games and hardware to earn stars. These can range from 100 to 1000 stars in value. Upon registering as a member on Nintendo of Europe's website, one is rewarded with 250 stars. Encouraging other people to register with Nintendo of Europe earns members 250 stars per sign-up.<ref>{{cite web |date=2005-08-22 |title=Nintendo |url=http://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/register/index.jsp ~~|title=Nintendo |website=Webarchive.loc.gov |date=2005-08-22 |access-date=2017-04-26~~ |url-status=~~bot: unknown~~dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20050822122836/http://www.nintendo-europe.com/NOE/en/GB/register/index.jsp |archive-date=2005-08-22 |access-date=2017-04-26 |website=Nintendo}}</ref> After registering, members can choose to receive special emails from Nintendo, which can include surveys which also reward members with stars. Daily visits to the website also once earned members 5 stars per day, but this was later removed.

=== North America ===

In 2002, a registration program titled My Nintendo (not to be confused with the loyalty program of the same name, ''[[My Nintendo]]'') began in North America. It allowed consumers to register their games and consoles online using a printed code included with the products, with no direct physical rewards or benefits for doing so.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nintendo.ca/2002/english/register.shtml |title=Nintendo Game Boy Player |website=Nintendo.ca |date=2003-11-11 |access-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064112/http://www.nintendo.ca/2002/english/register.shtml |archive-date=2016-03-04 }}</ref> Questions began being raised over Club Nintendo's conspicuous absence in the region by 2005. In 2007, then-vice president of Marketing and Corporate Affairs for Nintendo of America Inc. (NOA) [[Perrin Kaplan]] stated that the inclusion area of the United States is much larger than all the other Club Nintendo countries, and that the program was considered prohibitively expensive to set up. Kaplan also said that the company considered the pre-order bonuses and game registration promos it offered were an alternative to Club Nintendo.<ref>{{cite web |author=Contact Brian Ashcraft: Comment |url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/nintendo/why-there-is-no-club-nintendo-in-america-314873.php |title=Why There Is No Club Nintendo in America |publisher=Kotaku.com |date=2007-10-25 |access-date=2012-10-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415133208/http://kotaku.com/gaming/nintendo/why-there-is-no-club-nintendo-in-america-314873.php |archive-date=2009-04-15 }}</ref> Nintendo of America ultimately relented due to customer demand<ref>{{cite web |last=Nelson |first=Randy |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/02/joystiq-live-from-nintendos-fall-media-summit/ |title=live from Nintendo's fall media summit |publisher=Joystiq |date=2008-10-02 |access-date=2012-10-25 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019033020/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/02/joystiq-live-from-nintendos-fall-media-summit/ |archive-date=2012-10-19 }}</ref> and announced a Club Nintendo program for [[North America]] in October 2008.<ref name=wiredblog>{{cite magazine |author=WIRED Opinion |url=http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/10/liveblog-ninten.html |title=Liveblog: Nintendo's U.S. Press Conference | WIRED |magazine=Wired |date=2008-10-02 |access-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404034426/http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/10/liveblog-ninten.html |archive-date=2009-04-04 }}</ref>

The program was launched on December 15, 2008, retiring the My Nintendo registration program.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nintendo |url=http://www.nintendo.com/home ~~|title=Nintendo |access-date=2017-04-26~~ |url-status=~~bot: unknown~~live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050213010313/http://www.nintendo.com/home |archive-date=2005-02-13 |access-date=2017-04-26 |website=Nintendo}}</ref> The site experienced high traffic at its initial launch, resulting in login problems and slow load times for users.<ref>{{cite web |author=Michael McWhertor |url=http://kotaku.com/5111883/club-nintendo-is-live-slow--buggy |title=deadspin-quote-carrot-aligned-w-bgr-2 |website=Kotaku.com |date=17 December 2008 |access-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427100508/http://kotaku.com/5111883/club-nintendo-is-live-slow--buggy |archive-date=2017-04-27 }}</ref> It was taken offline on December 24, 2008, reopening almost a week later on December 30 with noticeable infrastructure improvements. The North America catalog was developed in conjunction with Nintendo Australia{{citation needed|date=June 2013}} and uses [[Super Mario (series)#Coins|Coins]] instead of Stars.

Program participants who meet 300-Coin "Gold" or 600-Coin "Platinum" benchmarks within the Club Nintendo year (July 1–June 30) also receive exclusive items. Platinum Rewards are usually premium items, such as plush hats or posters. However, in 2014, there were no physical rewards for either Platinum or Gold, instead a selection of Wii/3DS games which were already released on the [[eShop]] were offered. In the past, some of the most notable Platinum Member rewards were a special standalone WiiWare version of ''[[Punch-Out!! (Wii)|Punch-Out!!]]'' titled ''[[Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!]]''<ref>{{cite web |author=Marcel van Duyn |url=http://wiiware.nintendolife.com/news/2009/07/take_on_doc_louis_in_a_club_nintendo_exclusive_punch_out_game |title=Take on Doc Louis in a Club Nintendo Exclusive Punch-Out!! Game – Nintendo Life |website=Wiiware.nintendolife.com |date=2009-07-14 |access-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007020215/http://wiiware.nintendolife.com/news/2009/07/take_on_doc_louis_in_a_club_nintendo_exclusive_punch_out_game |archive-date=2011-10-07 }}</ref> and a plastic statuette featuring the main characters from the [[Mario (franchise)|''Mario'']] games.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/07/01/club-nintendo-reveals-its-2010-elite-status-rewards/ |title=Club Nintendo Reveals Its 2010 Elite Status Rewards – MTV |website=Multiplayerblog.mtv.com |date=2010-07-01 |access-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=~~live~~dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006190516/http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2010/07/01/club-nintendo-reveals-its-2010-elite-status-rewards/ |archive-date=2014-10-06 }}</ref> An advertisement for this was made in [[Punch-Out!! (Wii)|Punch-Out!!]] on the Wii, where if the player was losing, Doc Louis would say "Join [[Nintendo Fun Club|The Nintendo Fun-]] uh I mean Club Nintendo today, Mac". This has been made a popular internet joke.

In 2011, Nintendo of America started offering download codes for downloadable games as rewards, available for the [[Nintendo 3DS]] and the [[Wii U]] consoles as well as the [[Wii]] or the Wii U via Wii Mode, of which would typically range from 100 to 250 coins. There were eight games offered (originally two to four), which would change roughly each month. When orders for the non-game rewards were closed from April 18, 2014, until May 13, 2014, 5 different games were added, making a total of 9 games.

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{{nihongo|'''[[My Nintendo]]'''|マイニンテンドー|Mai Nintendō}} is a [[~~Loyalty~~loyalty program]] provided by [[Nintendo]], and the successor to Club Nintendo. The system rewards allows players to earn points from using software or purchasing games, which can then be spent on rewards such as digital games, physical items, or discounts. The program launched on March 17, 2016, in Japan and March 31, 2016, in the rest of the world, launching alongside Nintendo's first mobile app, ''[[Miitomo]]''.

== External links ==

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[[Category:Customer loyalty programs]]

[[Category:Video game magazines published in Denmark]]

[[Category:Defunct ~~computer~~video game magazines]]

[[Category:Video game magazines published in Germany]]

[[Category:Video game magazines published in Finland]]