WiiWare was first available in Japan on March 25 , 2008 , then in North America on May 12 , 2008 , and in Europe and Australia on May 19 , 2008 . The WiiWare service was officially launched on March 25 , 2008 , in Japan , on May 12 , 2008 , in North America , and on May 20 , 2008 , in the PAL\/UK regions .