Nintendo Wii U Posts Surprise New Hardware Sale in US According to Circana Data

A Rare New Wii U Sold in the US: Circana Reports an Unexpected Hardware Sale Despite the Nintendo Wii U's official discontinuation and the sunsetting of its online services, the console made headlines this month after Circana (formerly known as The NPD Group) reported that one brand new Wii U was sold at retail in the United States last month.

This surprising statistic marks the first documented sale of new Wii U hardware in the US since May 2022. Circana’s data was brought to light by respected industry analyst Mat Piscatella, who clarified how the company gathers sales information.

According to Piscatella, Circana collects and processes store-level sales data for every SKU across most major retailers, covering approximately 97% of the US hardware market.

This rigorous methodology ensures that even rare outliers—such as the sale of a new Wii U—do not go unnoticed in the aggregated reports. Launched globally between 2012 and 2013, the Nintendo Wii U served as the successor to the Wii and introduced innovations such as the Wii U GamePad’s second-screen experience.

Nevertheless, the platform struggled to achieve broad commercial success, posting a lifetime global sales figure of just over 13 million units according to Nintendo’s official data.

For perspective, the Nintendo Switch has surpassed over 125 million units, underscoring the extensive leap made with the current-generation system. The recent, isolated sale of a new Wii U comes at a transitional moment in the system’s lifecycle.

Earlier this month, Nintendo announced that it will discontinue online play for both the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS platforms in early April 2024, effectively closing the final chapter for this generation of hardware on the online front.

This deadline has led some collectors and fans to seek out new, boxed units as part of preserving gaming history. Meanwhile, Nintendo continues to enjoy robust hardware sales with new models, such as the 'Mario Red Edition' Nintendo Switch OLED.

Sales for the limited edition model recently doubled in Japan compared to the previous week and showed notable year-over-year increases, demonstrating the enduring market strength of the Switch platform. This rare retail event is a testament to Nintendo's lasting legacy, even as it transitions to current and future platforms.

While the Wii U may not have achieved the widespread popularity of its predecessor or successor, moments like this underscore the continued enthusiasm for Nintendo hardware—both old and new—across global markets.

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