[Update]
Nintendo had initially declined to comment on the Eurogamer story. A Nintendo spokesperson did state to Japanese site IT Media that, "There is no change in our continuing production." The spokesperson even said that are planned titles to be released for the Wii U. We will continue to update as the story develops.
[Original Story]
Wii hardly knew ya. After four years on the market, Nintendo will reportedly cease production on the Wii U console November 4th. That's according to Eurogamer, anyway. The report also states from multiple sources that the deadline for retailers to place orders was October 31, 2016. The orders placed at the deadline will be final shipments retailers will receive of the Nintendo Wii U. Production will shut down and we can only assume it is in preparation for the production of the Nintendo Switch.
At last count, Nintendo had shipped just a hair under 13.5 million consoles which when compared to the Wii sold around 101 million would seem like a disappointment. As a frame of reference the N64 sold about 32 million consoles and the GameCube ended its life cycle have sold 21 million.
Rumors of the Nintendo ceasing production of the Wii U have been swirling around since last year. This report looks like it confirmed a lot of our suspicions, especially since Nintendo confirmed the March 2017 release window of the Nintendo Switch console last week. The console/handheld hybrid is rumored to be about 3-4 times stronger than its predecessor.
Nintendo has not confirmed nor denied the Eurogamer report for the time being. Sadly, we will have to wait until January for the special Nintendo Switch Presentation for more information on the new console.
I think it's safe to say we are going to see some pretty great Wii U deals come this holiday season as retailers try to clear all of their old stock. We will keep you posted on any news regarding the Wii U and Switch.
