Reggie Fils-Aimé, former President of Nintendo of America, recently reflected on the Wii U's sales struggles during a Q&A session at the NYU Game Center. He stated that the Wii U was Nintendo's second-worst performing platform in history, surpassed only by the Virtual Boy, with a key reason being the slower-than-expected release of crucial exclusive titles.
Reggie explained that Nintendo initially believed the Wii U's combination of a large TV screen ("10-foot experience") and the GamePad's smaller screen ("10-inch experience") would create innovative new ways to play. The company developed "Nintendo Land" with this concept in mind, hoping it would ignite console sales much like "Wii Sports" did for the Wii. However, he admitted that while he didn't immediately dismiss the title, he could sense it wouldn't achieve the same impact as "Wii Sports."
The Wii U saw a decent start, but sales began to stagnate as players' attention shifted to Sony and Microsoft's next-generation consoles. Reggie noted that Nintendo had planned to release new "Super Smash Bros.," "Mario Kart," and "Splatoon" titles, but these games didn't launch on the company's desired timeline. This delay made it difficult for the console to achieve its expected success after its second year.
To maintain market momentum, Nintendo began adjusting its business strategy. This included discontinuing the low-capacity white Wii U model due to poor sales, simplifying the retail product line, and strengthening partnerships with digital game developers and indie creators. They also launched the NES Classic and SNES Classic consoles in consecutive years to bolster hardware sales during the holiday seasons.
Reggie also revealed that while the Wii U was on "life support," Nintendo was simultaneously planning its successor. The Nintendo Switch ultimately carried forward the Wii U's dual-screen concept but executed it in a different way, successfully turning the tide after its launch in 2017. The Wii U ultimately sold 13.56 million units, while the Switch has now surpassed 150 million units.
via： IGN