Nintendo sold fewer than 500,000 Wii U consoles in six months

By Ryan Fleming Updated October 31, 2013

nintendo sold 500000 wii u consoles

Gamers have purchased a mere 460,000 Wii U units in the last six months, according to Nintendo’s recently released financial statements covering the period from April through the end of September. That’s fewer than the number of people who visited Iceland in 2012. With that figure added in, the total number of Wii U consoles sold since its 2012 release has risen to just 3.91 million.

To rub salt in the wound, the 7-year-old Wii, by comparison, sold 470,000 units during the same period. That puts the total number of Wiis sold at over 100 million since its release in 2006. Wii software also outsold the Wii U over the last six months, moving 14 million games for the soon-to-be-completely discontinued system (it was recently discontinued in Europe and Asia), compared to the Wii U’s 6.3 million

Although the news is fairly horrible for Nintendo, there is one definite bright spot – the Nintendo 3DS. In the last six months, Nintendo’s handheld system sold 3.89 million units, bringing the total number of 3DS units sold to just shy of 35 million. The system also sold an impressive 27 million pieces of software in that same time period.

The Wii U did see a huge boost in sales thanks to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD game and bundle, which released in North America on September 20 while most of the world received it in October, after the fiscal period had ended. In the UK alone, Wii U sales briefly spiked 685-percent. November will also see the release of two big Wii U titles: Wii U Fit and Super Mario 3D World. Of course, both releases come during the launch month of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It could end up being a very, very bad year for Nintendo.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…

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Nintendo is ending Wii U and 3DS eShop service

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Nintendo has announced the end of its eShop service for the Wii U console and 3DS handheld. The eShop will stay live on those devices until late March 2023, after which players will no longer be able to purchase games or download eShop apps and services for those devices.

After the closure, players will still be able to redownload games and DLC that they already own, use online play, and download software updates.

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The player throws a bowling ball in Nintendo Switch Sports.

If 2021 was the year of the Game Boy Advance renaissance, then 2022 is the year of the Wii. At this point, the Nintendo Switch has outsold the Wii, but it still doesn’t feel like the Switch is as ubiquitous with casual gamers as the Wii was. Meanwhile, the Wii is getting just old enough that it’s starting to feel nostalgic and retro.
If Nintendo wants to continue to grow the Switch’s userbase, these yearnful Wii fans need to be its next target. Perhaps that’s why the latest Nintendo Direct felt like a love letter to the Wii era by featuring games like Nintendo Switch Sports, Mario Strikers: Battle League, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Nintendo Direct - 2.9.2022
Let’s go bowling
At this point, most hardcore gaming fans who want a Nintendo Switch likely already own one. While those 100+ million players will continue to buy new video games, Nintendo still wants to sell 23 million more units this year alone. If it’s going to accomplish that, it needs to entice people who might not usually play video games or spend hundreds of dollars on a new system.
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Making the Nintendo Switch even more appealing to casuals and non-gamers seems to be the company’s next goal. Nintendo Switch Sports recapturing some of that Wii magic is the spearhead of this strategy.
Its predecessor Wii Sports is one of the most successful games of all time. Even people who’ve never played a video game might remember the game from the Wii’s heyday. Nintendo wants a Switch in every nursing home, school, or daycare if it isn’t all ready, and first-party titles like Nintendo Switch Sports make that a possibility.
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Wii Remember
Believe it or not, the Wii is over 15 years old. Young kids who played games on the Wii with their parents are now adults and likely have nostalgia for those experiences. Some may even consider it to be a retro console at this point. As such, it’s not surprising that Nintendo and other companies would dip back into the well of Wii-era IPs. It started with the Skyward Sword remaster last year, but several Wii-related announcements were in this Nintendo Direct too, which made it a real trip for those of us that grew up with these games on Wii.
Mario Strikers’ last great outing was on the Wii, and the sports spin-off series has been dormant for just long enough to where Nintendo fans are delighted that it’s making a grand return. Even Nintendo Switch Sports will trigger nostalgia for the millions of people who enjoyed it over 15 years ago.
Third parties are even taking notice. Aspyr decided to specifically remaster the Wii version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, which is an odd choice considering that a more polished version of the game existed for Xbox 360 and PS3. Still, the Switch is the only console capable of preserving that Wii experience, and Aspyr ensures that the Wii port doesn’t get lost to time. For players who enjoyed the Wii but don’t want to dig out their system, sensor bar, and some Wii Remotes, releases like this will allow them to satiate their nostalgia. While games like Xenoblade Chronicles 3 indicate that Nintendo isn’t abandoning its hardcore audience, it’s clear that the casual market is the Switch’s next great frontier. Many of the games featured in the February 9 Direct capitalize on a new wave of nostalgia for the Wii. Embracing that market and those causal players with these games might be the key to the Nintendo Switch’s continued success.

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Although the Nintendo Switch poses as a great portable console and reigns supreme in popularity, Nintendo isn't ready to let their handheld consoles fall to the side. Since the Switch's release, the 3DS has gotten a plethora of great games, including Metroid: Samus Returns, WarioWare Gold, Luigi's Mansion,Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, and Hey! Pikmin.

It wasn't a total surprise when Nintendo announced a new 3DS to add to their family of portable consoles. The Nintendo 2DS XL was announced just months after the initial release of the Switch. Additionally, Nintendo continued to provide support for its 3DS platform. Those of us who are in love with the Nintendo handheld consoles have a chance to continue to pick up these systems and find new games to explore.