Retailers, publishers and Nintendo itself have all expressed disappointment over early Wii U hardware sales, but there’s finally some positive momentum as new software releases have boosted adoption of the platform holder's latest console in both the UK and Japan.
In the UK, Wii U sales jumped by almost 125 per cent during the week ended March 23, retail sources have told MCV. The success was attributed to the release of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, which is available as part of a new hardware bundle, and a major sale at HMV that saw the Wii U Premium model discounted by £140.
Hardware sales were also reportedly steady the following week, when software sales jumped significantly as Lego City Undercover hit stores before debuting at No.12 on the latest UK chart. Despite the improved recent performance, weekly Wii U sales continue to trail those of PS3 and Xbox 360, MCV added.
Meanwhile, in Japan the release of Dragon Quest X and Game & Wario for Wii U helped console sales double in the final week of March, meaning the system leapfrogged PS3 on the hardware chart. The Square Enix MMO, which is available as part of a new Wii U hardware bundle in Nintendo’s home country, debuted at No.6 on the software chart, while the Nintendo minigames collection entered at No.10, according to data from sales tracker Media Create which was republished on NeoGAF.
Until recently, Wii U has sorely missed new software, but fresh games aren’t the console’s only problem – we recently analysed the ways Nintendo can fix its console before it’s too late.
