9 Reasons Why The Nintendo Wii U Was A Commercial Flop

In the words of former Nintendo president the late, great Satoru Iwata, the reason the Wii U left the company’s financial department with a hefty black eye was down to the way it was marketed.

The influential businessman told reporters in 2014 that his company “failed to differentiate the Wii U from the Wii”. In other words, customers didn’t realise it was a new console.

There’s no denying that the Wii U had its fair share of new features over its forebear, from tablet controllers to superior graphical capabilities, so could that extra letter in its moniker really be behind the machine’s commercial capitulation?

Historically, this hasn’t really been an issue for the gaming giant. The SNES flew off the shelves after following in the wake of the 8-bit NES and the 3DS has managed more than 60 million lifetime sales, despite existing in an era when many gamers are turning their backs on handheld consoles in favour of smartphones and tablets.

Although the Wii U’s marketing campaign could have been more effective, inadequate promotion is likely only a contributory factor in the system’s downfall.

What’s in a name, anyway?