Nintendo Had Initially Expected To Sell 100m Wii U Units

The Nintendo Wii was a success, and rightfully so considering how unique it was compared to other consoles of its generation. This is why Nintendo had expected the Wii U, which is basically an improved version of the Wii, to sell just as well. Unfortunately as we all know, the Wii U is considered by many to be a bit of a flop.

During Nintendo’s investor’s meeting, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima revealed that at the start, Nintendo had actually expected the Wii U to go on to sell 100 million units, simply because the Wii had sold as many. “In an internal sales representative meeting, someone projected that we would sell close to 100 million Wii U systems worldwide. The thinking was that because Wii sold well, Wii U would follow suit.”

Obviously that wasn’t the case because last we heard, which was back in July 2015, the Wii U’s lifetime sales had only just crossed the 10 million mark, and it seems unlikely that Nintendo has since managed to push 90 million units from then till now. Many are looking at the upcoming Nintendo NX to be the company’s “savior”, although given that Nintendo’s mobile efforts are starting to show some promise, perhaps it doesn’t all have to ride on the NX’s shoulders.

The console is expected to be launched in March 2017, with details about what we can expect to be revealed this fall.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gaming
Tags: Nintendo, Wii U