Wii U and external USB HD

Hello all,

I'll get right into it. I have a 1TB external HD that fits all the criteria for an extension to the Wii U's storage. My question is this: On the Wii U store, there are titles that say retail only and I was wondering if anyone has had experience with these titles and external storage. If I connect my USB to the Wii U and open up more storage, will I be able to download those titles? I ask this because I'm wondering if it only says that on the Wii U store because I don't have enough storage currently or if they are truly retail only.

No. Retail Only means exactly that: Retail only.

Those games have not been funded to be downloaded through the eShop. If you want those titles, you'll need to scout for a hard copy. Just note that some games may become downloadable in the future, as it was with a number of the initial launch titles.

Thank you for the prompt response