Don't start snapping up those Wii U consoles for future resale just yet. Eurogamer, a site which has a proven history breaking Nintendo scoops and rumors (they were first to report on the existence of the Switch/NX), recently reported that the Wii U would be ending production this week. With the Switch set to launch in the first quarter of 2017, it seemed like a probably outcome. However, Nintendo [
via the Japanese site ITMedia] has refuted that assertion. A spokesman told ITM, "
There is no change to our continuing [Wii U] production. Even though the Nintendo Switch is slated to go on sale, [Wii U] production is scheduled to continue."
However, when
Forbes went to their North American Nintendo source, they were given the following statement, "
We have nothing to announce about the production status of Wii U. We announced in April 2016 that as we prepare for the launch of Nintendo Switch in March of 2017, Nintendo will ship 800,000 Wii U hardware units to the global market for this fiscal year. As a result, the inventory of Wii U hardware at retail will become harder to find. We encourage anyone who wants Wii U to communicate with their preferred retail outlet to monitor availability."
At this point, the Wii U's days are numbered, whether it be November 2016 or March 2017, that 5-month window before the launch of the Switch will likely contain an announcement on when the Wii U will end production. Stay tuned to Gamefragger as we'll have all the latest on the Switch and Nintendo's rollout strategy in the coming weeks.