Why Nintendo Discontinued the Ill-Fated Wii U

The Wii U vastly underperformed expectations, selling only 13.56 million lifetime units – far short of projections. This sales disaster, coupled with Nintendo‘s desire to move on to the more capable Switch, ultimately led to the Wii U‘s unusually swift discontinuation in 2017.

Abysmal Sales and Minimal Consumer Interest

The most glaring issue was the Wii U‘s dismal commercial performance. It sold only 13.56 million units lifetime – a massive nearly 88% drop off from its predecessor, the 100 million-selling Wii.

Despite launching a full year prior to its competition, the Wii U managed to sell less than a quarter of what the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One did in the same timeframe.

Low demand led Nintendo to cease production of the console by early 2017 – just over 4 years after release. For reference, even Nintendo‘s GameCube sold over 20 million units in the early 2000s.

The Wii U‘s abject commercial failure stands in stark contrast to nearly all other Nintendo console launches. As the chart above shows, since the days of the NES and SNES, new Nintendo platforms reliably sell well over 50 million units and often reach 9 figures. By failing to even hit 20 million, the Wii U became an embarrassing anomaly amongst Nintendo hardware.

Marketing and Messaging Missteps Crippled Awareness

The Wii U also suffered from widespread consumer confusion over exactly what it was. Its tablet-like GamePad controller led many to believe it was merely an accessory for the original Wii system, rather than a brand new console.

Nintendo failed to effectively communicate the Wii U‘s unique dual-screen concept in its announcement trailer and subsequent ads. This marketing mistake surely contributed to the apathy surrounding the system at launch.

The Wii U‘s First Reveal Focused More On The Controller Than Console

Compare this to the splashy, instantly viral trailer for the Switch just a few years later. Nintendo learned from previous mistakes and made it crystal clear exactly what its new revolutionary hybrid system could do.

In an interview with IGN, Reggie Fils-Aime, Former President and COO of Nintendo of America, reflected on the Wii U‘s messaging struggles:

"One of the things that we have to do better when we launch the NX—we have to do a better job communicating the positioning for the product. We have to do a better job helping people to understand its uniqueness and what that means for the game playing experience."

Unfortunately the damage was already done – the Wii U brand remained directionless and misunderstood by mainstream consumers well after launch.

Underpowered Hardware and Loss of Third Party Support

On the technical side, the Wii U‘s hardware specifications – while somewhat improved from the standard Wii – were dwarfed by the more powerful PS4/Xbox One released around the same time.

With just 2GB of slower DDR3 memory compared to 8GB GDDR5 RAM in its rivals, the Wii U struggled to match the graphical capabilities and performance of the PS4 and Xbox One.

Major third party publishers like EA and Activision increasingly abandoned developing many games for Wii U due to its limited processing power. Madden NFL and the Call of Duty series were notably missing from the platform.

First party offerings also took a hit, with titles like Zelda: Breath of the Wild actually designed first for Nintendo‘s next system. The ambitious open world Zelda sequel clearly stretched the Wii U past its limits.

In the end, players and industry partners lost faith in the system‘s staying power. This caused a negative cycle – consumers held off on buying the underpowered Wii U, while developers pulled back software support seeing weak demand.

The Switch Delivered Where the Wii U Couldn‘t

Just four years after the Wii U‘s debut, Nintendo introduced its true successor – 2017‘s revolutionary Switch console. The Switch realized the Wii U vision of seamless home and mobile play in a sleek, versatile package.

It ditched the Wii U‘s clunky two-screen Gamepad for a more straightforward on-the-go tablet design powered by premium internals like Nvidia‘s advanced Tegra X1 chipset. This time, Nintendo nailed the hybrid concept.

The Switch also boasted much more developer-friendly architecture. Leading engines like Unreal 4 could be easily ported to the system. With stronger tools and a built-in audience, major third parties like Bethesda and EA pledged flagship support they refused to offer the Wii U.

The Switch‘s roaring success signaled the final nail in the Wii U‘s coffin, allowing Nintendo to completely shift focus away from the failure. As the chart below shows, with the Switch soaring past 103 million units sold, the Wii U‘s measly 13 million seemed ever more insignificant.

In fact, letting the Wii U linger any longer may have actively damaged Nintendo. Instead of investing resources into supporting a dead console, they could pour effort into expanding the thriving Switch platform -erneling out hits like Splatoon 3, Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

If the Wii U continued its sub-5 million per year sales rate, it risked skewing Nintendo‘s financials going forward. Investor and market confidence in the company depended on demonstrating the Switch‘s strengths. Swiftly sweeping the Wii U under the rug was a strategic move to reinforce Nintendo‘s revitalized position in the gaming industry.

An Important Lesson Learned

In the end, the Wii U will be remembered as an ambitious misfire – a console defined by untapped potential and unrealized ideas. Its defining feature – mobile play powered by the clunky GamePad – was executed far more elegantly just a few years later by Switch.

But the Wii U still represents an important transitional period for Nintendo – one filled with critical lessons that shaped its approach toward developing the massively successful Switch platform.

The Wii U‘s failures reminded Nintendo that compelling hardware and seamless gameplay experiences must come first. All the marketing spin and IP in the world can‘t save a product with crippling flaws baked in.

Rising from the Wii U‘s ashes, the Switch shows a refined Nintendo more responsive than ever to what both loyal fans and casual audiences demand from a contemporary console.