Nintendo Just Killed off the Wii U in Japan as the Switch Release Approaches

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In case Nintendo’s announcement of the Switch hadn’t clued you in, they’re moving on from the Wii U. Recently, a report went around that Nintendo was ending Wii U production, which they flatly denied. Now, they’ve announced that they’re ending Wii U production in Japan, which we all pretty much expected.

The Wii U has been on borrowed time for a while, with the lowest sales of any Nintendo home console to date. Software support for the troubled system—while there are some great games to be played—has been slowing for well over a year as Nintendo geared up for the Switch, and Eurogamer reported last week that the final Wii U would roll of the assembly line that Friday. On the company’s Japanese site, Nintendo has now contradicted its own initial claims that production was “scheduled to continue,” saying it’s now “scheduled to end” in Japan.

Eurogamer maintains that their initial report was correct, and the “production” that hasn’t finished yet likely just includes parts of the process after building the console. Whether or not the final system has been assembled, the era of the Wii U is officially over. Long live the Switch! We’ll learn more about Nintendo’s upcoming console with an event in January, and players will be able to get their hands on it shortly thereafter, as well as at additional events, it seems.

(via Kotaku, image via Nintendo)

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Dan Van Winkle
Dan Van Winkle (he) is an editor and manager who has been working in digital media since 2013, first at now-defunct Geekosystem (RIP), and then at The Mary Sue starting in 2014, specializing in gaming, science, and technology. Outside of his professional experience, he has been active in video game modding and development as a hobby for many years. He lives in North Carolina with Lisa Brown (his wife) and Liz Lemon (their dog), both of whom are the best, and you will regret challenging him at Smash Bros.