Wii Sports Club is a sports simulation video game, developed by Nintendo and Bandai Namco Studios and published by Nintendo for the Wii U throughout 2013 and 2014. It is the third entry in the Wii Sports series, a part of the larger Wii series. As an enhanced remake of the 2006 Wii launch title Wii Sports, it includes five minigames that replicate Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing, and are controlled with motion controls that replicate the sports. New to the game is additional control schemes using the Wii U GamePad, online multiplayer, and Wii Motion Plus support. Players are organized into clubs that represent different regions, and scores and stats are tracked on Nintendo's social network Miiverse. Players could also communicate with each other during and after online matches using Miiverse. Each sport can be purchased individually or rented for a certain amount of time via a pass.
Wii Sports was remade per the request of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, as well as to take advantage of Wii Motion Plus and GamePad technology. Since online play was demanded by fans it was prioritized, as well as Miiverse support, which was designed with a sense of community. The game was announced in a September 2013 Nintendo Direct and released in October 2013 with only Tennis and Bowling available, while Baseball, Golf, and Boxing would be released in the following months. The game released in full physically in July 2014. The game received mixed reception, being praised for its new additions and controls but criticized for its technical issues. It was followed by Nintendo Switch Sports in 2022.
Gameplay
Wii Sports Club is a remaster of Wii Sports with HD graphics. Similarly to Wii Sports, Club consists of five minigames that replicate real-world sports: Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing. Each game uses the Wii Remote Plus and its motion controls, which the player uses to replicate the motions involved in its associated sport; Boxing is the only sport that also uses the Nunchuk. For example, the player holds and swings the Wii Remote to mimic swinging a tennis racket, baseball bat, and golf clubs. Each game can be played in single-player, or local multiplayer supporting 2 or four player depending on the sport. Gameplay is generally the same as its predecessor, although Baseball and Golf utilize the Wii U GamePad; in Baseball, the player uses the GamePad to aim and pitch at the batter, and in Golf, the GamePad is set on the ground and displays a ball, which the player uses to aim and hit. Each sport has additional side modes focus on the sport's gameplay, such as playing whack-a-mole using tennis controls and playing a game of Bingo by hitting golf balls on a golf field.
The main difference between the two games is the addition of online multiplayer. The player can compete against others online in all sports; Tennis, Baseball, and Boxing feature real-time gameplay, while Bowling and Golf are turn-based. Online gameplay is against other regions, and stats and rankings are kept track of on Nintendo's social network for the console, Miiverse. Players join a group depending on their region, referred to as clubs, and clubs compete against each other online and are ranked on Miiverse. In matches, players can use the "Online Banter" feature to communicate in-game using pre-set messages and drawings from the GamePad.
Upon playing each minigame for the first time, the player had access to it for the following 24 hours, upon which they would need to pay to use it again. The player could purchase the "gold pass" for 10 dollars, which was used to purchase and use an individual sport forever, or they could purchase the "day pass" for 2 dollars, where they had full access to all sports for 24 hours.
Development
Wii Sports Club was developed by Nintendo EAD and Bandai Namco Studios. Although the game was originally to be developed only by Bandai Namco, the staff from Nintendo EAD had "strong feelings" about Wii Sports and wanted to be involved with its development regardless. Takayuki Shimamura, lead director of Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, reprised his role; he volunteered to do so, believing he would regret it if he didn't. Ryunosuke Suzuki and Kozo Makino served as coordinators between the two development teams, but would be more actively involved with the game itself as development progressed. Although working in different areas proved challenging for the companies, it made testing online gameplay easier. Katsuya Eguchi was the game's producer, who also produced Wii Sports.