First Club Nintendo North America details unexpectedly awesome [update]

by Chris Greenhough on Nov 15th 2008 12:00PM

Last month, Nintendo revealed that Club Nintendo, Japan and Europe's ace consumer rewards program, would launch in North America. Weeks of silence followed, but now Cammie Dunaway has started talking up the service. Here are five crucial facts she divulged to MTV Multiplayer:

Club Nintendo in North America is still on schedule to launch before the end of 2008.
It will be more like the Japanese program than the European, in that there will be more physical products than digital.
As is the case in Europe, you gain points (known as gold coins in North America) by purchasing a product and entering a code on the Club Nintendo site, and can reap further points by completing surveys on the product you bought. In Europe, it's worth mentioning that these are hardly time-consuming: just five or six questions with tickboxes.
Unlike in Europe, you can gain points for indicating an interest in purchasing before buying. Noice!
Some items from the Japanese service will make it to North America (Yay! And also: please include this).

If you'll excuse us, we're now going to randomly hit our keyboard in a fit of wild, unabated excitement. YAKJFDAIWOQBHKJGFEDRYUVBEIUQ

[Update: A clarification: the service will be coming to North America as a whole! Apologies for the geographical confusion!]

Want to see Club Nintendo's greatest gifts to Japan and Europe? OF COURSE YOU DO. So go here.

Source

Tags: cammie-dunaway, club-nintendo, freebie, freebies

Reader Comments (38)

What surveys on the EU Club Nintendo? It's not like I frequent the site, but if I could boost my stars balance, then trade them in for Wii Points, I'd be up for it.

I'm still waiting for that Game and Watch Collection. The Japanese Club Nintendo had it ages ago.

Does anyone know if club nintendo us also is for Canada? Wii fanboy always leaves us Canadians out in the cold.

But you guys LIKE cold, right?

Sorry that you guys don't get it. It's Nintendo of America's(NoA) Club Nintendo, not a North America thing.

Yes, I resent how "States" and "America" is typically shorthand for "North America"—there's more than one country in this continent, video game bloggers! Or have you all been playing too much Fallout lately?

But yes, Club Nintendo is coming to NORTH America: that's America *and* America Jr. From the press release (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/10/02/nintendo-sf-event-wii-music-not-a-game-lots-of-new-games-announced-for-us/):

"Club Nintendo is set to debut in North America this holiday season."

Oh wait, Chris Greenhough's post says NA too. I guess just I've been playing too much Fallout. Apologies!

Er, though the post title needs to be corrected. Damn! I wish I could edit my comments.

"I resent how "States" and "America" is typically shorthand for "North America"—there's more than one country in this continent"

"States" and "America" typically shorthand for the US, not North America. Also, while there may be more than one country in North America, only one has America in its name and only one is comprised of states.

I looked into it and it IS coming to Canada.

Actually, Mexico has states... the full name of the country is "United Mexican States," or "Estados Unidos Mexicanos."

noice? spell check!

Deliberate:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=noice&defid=7745

How does Club Nintendo work? I realize that you register first-party products for rewards and do some of the other things mentioned above, but how to you become a "Platinum Member". Or even gold and silver for that matter?
Is it random, or does it have to do with how long you've been a member, or how many points you have?

What about all the games I've already registered?

Will I get points from those?

Exactly, I was wondering this too. Hopefully either the site is the same and they automatically transfer the points to your account or it's not and you can manually reenter your old stuff. I'm not entirely sure whether I still have those little slips of paper, which is annoying, but hopefully it's the first one. And personally, I wouldn't mind digital rewards if we could cash them for Wii points, although (damnit Nintendo) my Wii is nearly full with only 6 downloaded games (and every free channel available except I think everybody votes, and Mario Kart).

Yeah, anyone heard the word on this? They better grandfather my registered products in. I have 30 games and 4 systems registered on my MyNintendo account. It's too bad they don't offer registration codes in all games, or I'd have a shitload more on my account as well. But yeah. If I don't get points for these puppies, I'ma be pissed.

That is a good point. Wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo doesn't do this and forces us to buy more games.

There's no telling which games will get points nor if they will have less points value then any future game will hold. There will be some support but it's not known how much or which titles.

Didn't they say a while ago that you'd only get partial Coin, at most, for games you already registered?

I think, if they want to go the nice, but were still douche bag route; think the only retroactive stuff we'll get points is from VC and WiiWare products. I hope I am wrong and they just be nice instead of being douche bags. :>

Well I suppose partial points is better than no points. But logically, you'd think they'd be worth MORE points. Like,
" 'Hey Nintendo. I registered all of my first party games for the last eight years for your data gathering purposes even though there was no incentive for me to do so.'
'Oh really? Well thanks! Here's some bonus points for you!' "

Wouldn't that make sense?

@drahken: Basically being an incentive program, it makes more sense to give more points for current and future loyalty than for past loyalty.

I have to disagree, bug frawg. Unwarrented past loyalty seems more commendable than future loyalty based on rewards. If someone was loyal only because they thought they were going to be getting something out of it, it's not really loyalty so much as self-interest, is it? At least, that's how I see it.

I hope so. I want my dozens of registered games to count for something.

I thought there was a system where you gained points for registering interest in Europe? Or am I missing something here?

Joy. Great Joy.

Especially considering i've never registered a damn thing. Everything i have that still has the packet with the PIN attached to it is going to get registered at once, and i'm going to rake in.

An excellent consolation for the little abuses they've been feeding the North American market, certainly

ZS KRDH AEWQ BMIY3US9999

GREAT! Now all we need it down here in Australia and i'll be bloddy happy

You're gonna get it within the next. . . I'd say 10 years

JHSFKJSALFKSHFIIJCVHNDSIE

"Unlike in Europe, you can gain points for indicating an interest in purchasing before buying. Noice!"

Actually, we've got that here. It's called Stars Bonus or something.

Why aren't one of the tags "F!#@ Awesome"?

I have 40+ games registered under my nintendo and if they don't transfer it I'm going to probably cry as I have thrown all of my registration serials away....

Cool.
Any news on Club Nintendo Australia?
They claimed they just had to put the finishing touches on the site on ANZAC day!!! God, Nintendo is getting more like Valve every day...

So, i get point if i issue 'll be buying a game, i register my game, and give feedback on the game?

AWESOME!!!!! Good thing I hadn't registered any of my nintendo products, and can issue an interest on buying the ones i have downloaded. (wich 'll be buying, but need to see my xmas bonus, :P)

1. I assumed it was still coming out by the end of the year, but nice to be reassured.
2. Physical products are nice, but that doesn't necessarily mean it isn't crap, so no real reassurance for me there.
3. I figured we get points the same way the other regions do.
4. I don't really understand what they mean by showing an interest. How do they know if we're interested and not just faking it? And how do they check our interest anyways?
5. Well, Japan has some crappy things, so once again, still doesn't necessarily mean we'll get nice things. So once again, no reassurance.

And they still haven't answered my two biggest questions:

1. Will I get credit for my already registered products? I have over 70 things on that list, including every system but the GBA Micro. Partial credit is okay I guess, but I'll still hate them if I don't get full credit because I registered them already.
2. Some examples of items we'll get at launch please?

Really, I feel like this was more of just assurance that it's coming intact, rather than new info or clarification.

"Unlike in Europe, you can gain points for indicating an interest in purchasing before buying. Noice!"

that is incorrect, certain titles on the nintendo site have a bonus star offer. If you check you are interested in a game under the scheme.(recently only four titles so far, brawl, prof Layton,trauma center new blood and disaster )
You have a 2 week window to register the star code for that game. You will then receive an additional 50 stars, these stars are what can be turn in to nintendo points for the vc or the rubbish prizes in their star catalogue.

I jsut bought a Wii over the Weekend from Amazon.com.........will I get points for that??

First Club Nintendo North America details unexpectedly awesome [update]

Reader Comments (38)

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