Nintendo announced the launch of WiiWare today. WiiWare is a new game service specifically for the Nintendo Wii that allows game developers big and small to take their games directly to Wii players. Nintendo says that starting today any Wii owner with a Wi-Fi connection can download new and creative games directly to the console.

According to Nintendo WiiWare frees developers from the traditional constraints of game development and offers games in the most democratic environment in the history of the gaming industry. To download WiiWare titles users go to the WiiWare section of the Wii Shop Channel and find the game you want and purchase by redeeming Wii Points. Games will have a different point cost and new titles will be added on Mondays.

The first games being offered in the WiiWare ship include Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Lost Winds, Defend your Castle, Pop, V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack, and TV Show King. "WiiWare is to the video game industry what independent films are to Hollywood," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "WiiWare lets developers experiment with new ideas and experiences. Combined with our collection of classic Virtual Console games, Wii provides one-stop shopping for the greatest games of the past - and the future."

Via Nintendo