Upon it’s surprising arrival, Crunchyroll on the Wii U became a welcomed offering on the console’s digital library. However, one setback was that you needed to pay for a Premium membership or use the 14 day trial period to watch anime on demand (aside from some demo episodes that is).
As of today, great news for the anime fandom, an update to the Crunchyroll app on Wii U allows free users to enjoy the same freemium experience already available on the smartphone/tablet versions of the Crunchyroll app, as well as on their website. Here you can read the official announcement:
Hey everyone~!
Bjaker here with an exciting announcement!!
I am proud to let you all know that the Crunchyroll app for WiiU is now available to ALL Crunchyroll Members!! That’s right, the app is now available to EVERYONE in the Americas, with worldwide availability, as supported by the Nintendo eShop~!
Now free members can also enjoy the same freemium experience offered on our other apps and our website experience! The app is FREE, so head on over to the Nintendo eShop and download it today!
For the Premium Crunchyroll experience, check out our Free Trial and experience your favorite shows on the big screen with no ads, HD, and simulcasts as soon as they are available!
Of course you will have to settle for standard definition streaming and ads along the way. At least you can now watch entire seasons for free. Premium options will still be available for those looking for HD streaming and no ads, which by the way, also include Crunchyroll simulcasts.
This is a very welcomed news considering that the TVii service will be discontinued shortly.
Via the Crunchyroll forum.
