Nintendo denies rumor it's quitting Wii U production, says Japan news site

Nintendo has formally denied the rumor that it will end production of the Wii U console sometime this year, in a statement to a Japanese news site.

According to a translation by Kotaku, a Nintendo spokesperson told IT Media, "This isn't an announcement from our company. From the next quarter and thereafter as well, production is scheduled to continue."

Yesterday, Nikkei, Japan's leading financial publication, reported that Nintendo would quit making the console this year and that it had already ended production of certain Wii U accessories.

Nikkei has had a strong track record of outing Nintendo's unannounced plans. It added that the launch of the company's next platform, codenamed the NX, is not assured this year.

Nintendo has said it will formally reveal its new console sometime this year. Last week, the company launched Miitomo, its first app for mobile devices, a move investors have long demanded.

Nintendo has sold more than 12.6 million Wii Us since the console's 2012 launch, which poorly contrasts with its predecessor, the Wii, which has sold more than 100 million units since its 2006 debut.