Wii U Production to End This Week

Following the reveal of its new console, the Switch, Nintendo is expected to cease production of the Wii U this week, according to multiple sources (via Eurogamer). Nintendo’s Japanese production line took its final orders on Tuesday (1^st November) – thought to be only a few units – which it will fulfil on Friday (4^th November).

Nintendo launched the Wii U in November, 2012, selling 3 million units by the end of that year, though by the second quarter of 2013 sales had fallen by 51%. Interest in the console was renewed in 2014 with the release of Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, but it was not enough to help the console rival the popularity of its predecessor, the Wii. As of 30^th September, the Wii U has shipped 13.36 million units; by the end of its life, the Wii had sold 101 million units.

While fan reaction to the new Nintendo Switch has been largely positive, the market has responded with caution – probably due to the relative failure of the Wii U – which caused the Japanese company’s shares to drop not long after the initial reveal of the console. Nintendo is expected to reveal the hardware to the press on 13^th January (on Japanese time, 12^th January US time), 2017.