The Wii U was such a failure that it broke the whole concept of console generations. Released in 2012 as a follow-up to the hugely successful Wii, it was a complete disaster from the start, with a weak game line and surprisingly little marketing.
Despite the Wii’s success, most people didn’t even know the console existed, with the original model being discontinued in 2015 and all production ceasing in 2016.
In 2017 it was replaced by the Switch – Nintendo’s second generation console – and apart from a steady supply of ports, a small selection of Wii U exclusive games, the console was quickly forgotten – until now, as Nintendo announces that is ending all hardware support for the format.
Nintendo already shut down the Wii U eShop last March, but they were still offering free repairs in Japan until they announced they ran out of replacement parts.
There was already a warning last May that support would only last as long as spare parts, with repairs in the West already halted due to lack of demand.
While few will mourn the passing of the Wii U, it does take with it a number of very good franchises. For reasons that remain unclear, Xenoblade Chronicles X has yet to be ported to the Switch. Some assumed it was held back to fill the current period before the Switch 2 launch, but it has yet to be announced.
Xenoblade Chronicles X doesn’t make any special use of the Wii U GamePad, which makes the lack of a port even more confusing, but most other games that haven’t made the trip.
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Star Fox Zero could probably be set in retro mode to use normal controls, but the poor reception of the original (even though we liked it) makes that impossible. Which means the Tower Defense Star Fox Guard bundled game is also lost to history.
On the other hand, no one likes Paper Mario: Color Splash or Horrible Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, so it’s not a waste. There have been rumors that Kirby And The Rainbow Paintbrush will make the jump to the Switch, but given how domestic the Wii U GamePad was to it, it seems unlikely that Game & Wario will ever port over.
Again, Game & Wario isn’t very good, so few will bemoan its disappearance, but perhaps the biggest loss is the launch title Nintendo Land.
A collection of asymmetrical multiplayer games like Mario Chase, Animal Crossing: Sweet Day and Luigi’s Ghost Mansion were amazing fun, and yet without the Wii U’s very specific hardware setup, they can’t work on any other format – or at least not with just a keyboard.
The Nintendo Land games had very little shelf life, but they were great party games and it’s sad to know they can’t be experienced in a modern format, or on any console as the world’s supply of Wii Us all breaks down.
However, it’s not impossible that some of these games, especially Xenoblade, could appear on the Switch before the other console’s release, or even after it. Wii U remakes of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess would require very little effort for Nintendo to port, and so they seem relatively possible as well.
Hardware-wise, though the Wii U is now officially a dead format, and while its early demise spawned a much better console, it’s sad to see it take so many unique games with it.
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