A recent report suggests Nintendo will halt production of the WiiU by the end of this year.
The news comes from Japanese website Nikkei, later translated by CEO of Tokyo-based gaming industry consultants group Kantan Games, Dr. Serkan Toto on Twitter.
The report suggests Nintendo has, in fact, already stopped production of all WiiU accessories, with the company hoping to deplete it’s total inventory by the end of the year. The article also mentions Nintendo’s next console, project title, NX, to be officially unveiled later this year, not ruling out the possibility of a late 2016 release. The announcement of the NX is corroborated by an interview Nintendo President, Tatsumi Kimishima, did with Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun back in January, talking about plans for the NX reveal in 2016.
Although this all but confirms the end of the WiiU production and retail run, company back-stock will keep the console available for a while longer.
Industry analysts have suggested the NX will be a home console/portable hybrid, with the portable version being available later this year and the home console launching early next year.
The Nintendo WiiU has sold just over 12 million units worldwide, as reported by VGChartz, making it the lowest selling Nintendo console to date. The poor sales can be attributed to lack of third-party support, small library of games and poor marketing.
