GameStop to recall Wii U Basic Set in North America

Kotaku recently reported that GameStop is planning to recall all Wii U Basic Sets in North America on June 18th, one week after E3. The gaming blog cited the following message which they had obtained from a source within the company:

“Nintendo Wii U Basic Recall – Two Week Preparation On Tuesday, 6/18, all stores will need to return all new/unopened Wii U Basic (020359). .. Stores that have 10 or more in stock will receive shipping cartons from the [distribution center]. .. All other stores will need to save shipping cartons for this recall.”

CNET has now confirmed that the retail chain is, in fact, requesting that all of its stores return their new and unopened Wii U Basic Sets still on store shelves. The cheaper model of the console has been selling poorly with little demand, while the Deluxe Set has enjoyed a much better reception.

While some have jumped to the conclusion that the Big N themselves are discontinuing sales of the bundle, it appears that is not the case. Nintendo of America director of corporate communications Charlie Scibetta gave the following statement to Kotaku to clarify the situation:

"There is a current misperception about Wii U hardware. To clarify: Nintendo is working with its retail partners to simply rebalance the stock of the White 8GB and the Black 32GB Wii U models in the market. Consumers looking for either model will continue to find them available."

Sources: Kotaku (1), 2, CNET,