Asda has stopped stocking Wii U consoles in its 555 stores in the UK, but is still selling Nintendo products via its Asda Direct website.
The decision from the supermarket chain to suspend stock on the console will come as a blow to Nintendo, who are desperately trying to reverse the fortunes of the struggling console after underwhelming sales following its launch last year.
A report on CVG suggests that Asda's stance means that they have not even stocked Pikmin 3, which debuted in second place in this week's UK sales charts. In a statement sent to the website, an Asda representative stated: "Asda continues to offer customers a selection of Wii U games and accessories through Asda Direct, but these ranges are currently not on offer in Asda shops."
After the initial publication of the article, the retailer followed it up with this statement: "Asda will stock [Wii U] games on a title by title merit basis as they come along through Asda Direct. We will continue to support Nintendo as a format holder partner."
Nintendo's response is as follows: "Nintendo UK does not comment on specific business practices with individual retailers. However, as we have seen with Nintendo 3DS, software sells hardware, and with titles such as Wonderful 101, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD and Super Mario 3D World already announced for this year as well as the recently released Pikmin 3 and New Super Luigi U having reached number 2 and number 6 in this week's chart respectively, we are looking forward to the year ahead on Wii U."
It's been a trying time for the platform holder, with publishers like EA not actively supporting the console, and company chief Satoru Iwata recently accepting blame for the console's sluggish start. However, with the recent launch of Pikmin 3, and with a new Zelda game in development, plus the recent announcement of Super Mario 3D World and Mario Kart 8, it would be foolish to write the company off just yet.