Report: Nintendo shutting down Wii U production this year

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The Wii U may see its lifespan cut a bit shorter than most modern consoles, if a report from Nikkei is correct. The Japanese newspaper claims that production of the Wii U will cease this year, which would seem to signal that Nintendo is ready to move on from the commercially lukewarm system.

While one might think this means that Nintendo's next console, codenamed NX, is due to take its sibling's place in 2016, don't be too sure. Japanese games industry analyst Serkan Toto noted on Twitter that the Nikkei report does indicate a full unveiling of the Nintendo NX in 2016, but not necessarily a release date by the end of the year.

The Wii U launched in November 2012, making this year its fourth on the market. If the report of discontinuation is true, it will be the shortest-lived of Nintendo's home consoles. Personally, I can't say I'm surprised. While I love my Wii U (I own more games for it than I do for Xbox One or PS4), things didn't look good after multiple publishers abandoned the system or took their previously exclusive titles multiplatform.

And hey, even if this is the end for Nintendo's console, there's still plenty to look forward to this year: Star Fox Zero, Paper Mario: Color Splash, and The Legend of Zelda all have a 2016 release window. I say enjoy 'em while you can.

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Sam Prell
Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.