In a surprising turn of events, a brand-new Wii U console has been sold in 2023, long after the system was discontinued back in 2017. The news is confirmed by video game industry analyst Mat Piscatella, indicating that this wasn’t just a random purchase from a reseller or eBay. It appears that a retail store somehow had a new Wii U in stock and scanned it through a register, resulting in the sale being reported.
The circumstances surrounding this sale remain a mystery, but there are a few plausible explanations. Typically, when hardware is discontinued, retailers sell through their remaining stock, and manufacturers eventually request any unsold units to be returned. However, this particular Wii U may have been sold by a smaller retailer that carries games but isn’t primarily focused on video game sales. Such retailers might not receive the latest inventory news and could end up with outdated or forgotten stock. It’s likely that this Wii U slipped through the cracks, remaining undiscovered until someone stumbled upon it and decided to purchase it.
While the exact details of how this Wii U transaction occurred are unclear, it’s easy to understand why someone might buy one in 2023. Some people may have grown tired of waiting for Nintendo to release a port of Wind Waker HD on the Switch, which remains a popular and highly sought-after game. Regardless of the circumstances, this unexpected sale serves as a reminder of how the gaming industry can sometimes surprise us with unusual occurrences.
