Nintendo has confirmed that Wii U supplies on launch day in the UK will be “tight”. The shortage of Wii U consoles will be so severe that UK retailers won’t be able to fill all the pre-orders, according to reports. This is more bad news for Nintendo, which recently revealed that the company will be taking a loss on every Wii U sold.
It’s rumored that only 25,000 Wii U consoles will be available in the UK on launch day. A source from a UK retailer said that the UK would receive around 100,000 Wii U consoles during the “launch period”, which will span a few weeks after the Nov. 30 launch. Nintendo said they will provide retailers with “regular stock deliveries” of the Wii U in the run up to Christmas.
This is in stark contrast to the original Wii, which sold over 100,000 units during the first two days on the market. By comparison, 25,000 Wii U units doesn’t sound like a lot. When the Xbox 360 launched, it sold about 75,000 units in the first few days on the market in the UK.
The Wii U launches on November 30 in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, and will retail at £230 for the Basic set.
