Nintendo stops developing games for Wii U

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the last game Nintendo is developing for the Wii U, Nintendo confirms. The Japanese manufacturer declares that the Wii U has finally reached its end-of-life status.

Reggie Fils-Aime does not report whether there will be games from other developers, but Nintendo itself will no longer be bringing games to the plagued console. “We’ve really come to the point where Wii U is end-of-life,” the president of Nintendo America told Polygon.

For now, the games for the Wii U will continue to be offered, both in stores and in the Nintendo eShop. The online services will also remain active. Fils-Aime does not say until when the online services will continue to be offered, but speaks of a ‘quite long time’. Mario Kart 8 and Splatoon in particular are still played a lot online, according to him.

Nintendo released the Wii U in late 2012, but the console did not become the success the company hoped for. By September 2016, total sales stood at 13.36 million units, making it the Japanese game company’s least successful console. The Switch should improve; sales of that console will start on March 3. Nintendo expects to sell 2 million copies of the Switch by March.