Nintendo denies it is cancelling Wii U production

Nintendo has played down rumours suggesting it is ceasing production of the Wii U.

Japanese news publication Nikkei revealed yesterday that the company would stop producing the Wii U before the end of the year.

In a statement provided to Japanese website IT Media by Nintendo, the firm clarified: "The [Nikkei] report did not come from within our company.”

"The company plans to continue production through [and beyond] the next fiscal year," Nintendo added.

The report first stated that Nintendo had already stopped manufacturing Wii U accessories and planned to stop producing the console by the end of 2016, presumably to make room for the NX.

Nintendo’s plans for its next console remain unknown, even if plausible leaked pictures of the NX controller appeared last week.

The Wii U launched in 2012 and as of October last year, had sold 10.73m units globally – roughly ten per cent of the Wii’s 102m lifetime sales.