The biggest disappointment from Nintendo since the Virtual Boy now has an effective end of life date. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed to Polygon that the Wii U is at the end of its rope, with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being the system's last breath. The Wii U version of the game will launch alongside the Switch version, but there isn't much more fleft for the Wii U after that.
Fils-Aime mentioned specifically that there's no first party development coming for the Wii U as Nintendo plans to focus on the Switch, but they're still going to sell Wii U games at both retail and online. Putting an end to online services like they did for the DS and Wii hasn't been discussed yet, largely due to the activity from Mario Kart and Splatoon. Nintendo plans to continue online support for some time, but they won't be bringing any more games to the Wii U.
The decision to focus on the Switch is hardly surprising given the Wii U's lackluster sales, taking two and a half years to reach 10 million global sales, and even longer to reach 3 million in Japan. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be available on both the Switch and Wii U starting March 3, though the Switch has a few subtle differences such as improved open-air sound effects. Fans of the Wii U's online services have nothing to worry abouto for a while, but if you're looking for new Nintendo games you'll have to make the Switch.
I see the Wii U being compared more to the Dreamcast in the future, rather than a complete flop like the Virtual Boy. It has a rather strong, albeit limited library. The marketing and online infrastructure is what ruined its potential, not so much the hardware.
What a way to go out though.
Skyward Sword was a fantastic game to sign off with the Wii so hopefully Breath of the Wild can provide the same feeling for people who purchase it on the Wii U.