Is Nintendo Giving up on the Wii U?
A well-known Japanese newspaper, Nikkei, recently published a report that Nintendo is planning to stop the production of its console, the Nintendo Wii U later this year. According to a Tech Times report, the Japanese company is finally giving up on its low-performing console and is also paving the way for its upcoming console, the Nintendo NX.
The Nikkei report which was translated from Japanese and cited by Tech Times, mentioned that the console's poor sales since it launched, lack of third-party support as well as technical limitations may well be the reasons why Nintendo is finally letting it go. According to the report, production on the Wii U will end later this year. In fact, some of the accessories for the console have halted production already and Nintendo is reportedly planning to sell off whatever is left of its inventory by the end of the year.
With the Wii U, Nintendo will likely focus its efforts on the announced upcoming console, the Nintendo NX. Not much is known about the console including when it will released to the market. If the Nikkei report is true, then the timeline for the NX release may be sometime soon. The Tech Times report speculates that an announcement may happen during the E3 convention in June.
Another report in Kotaku claims that some companies who make some components of the console have stopped producing these components. In terms of Wii U titles, the report however says that development will likely continue in order to "reduce the risk of excess Wii U inventory when the NX launches."
Nintendo, however came out denying the report, saying that it is not an official announcement and that Wii U production is "scheduled to continue" from the current quarter onward. Despite Nintendo's denial however, the Kotaku report noted that Nikkei was usually correct when it came to predictions and reports about Nintendo.