Nintendo: Wii U not struggling because of its name

The Wii U is struggling, but it's not because of the platform's name, according to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

Asked by Kotaku if naming the console Wii 2 would have helped matters, Fils-Aime said, "The challenges we're facing with Wii U are not issues of the name."

Fils-Aime added that Wii U sales in the United States stand at 1.5 million units, fewer than half of the system's 3.61 million worldwide global sales.

It's not the name that is keeping the Wii U from growing in popularity, but rather a lack of compelling software that makes use of the GamePad, Fils-Aime said.

"The issue is the lack of a steady rate of software launches to motivate the consumer to drive buzz and engagement and to highlight the wide variety of uses of the GamePad. That's the issue," he said.

Yesterday, Nintendo announced a price cut for the Wii U, dropping the 32GB system to $300, while the 8GB model will be phased out.

Nintendo recently dated a number of high-profile first-party games, including Super Mario 3D World (November 22) and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (December 6). The company also announced a brand-new handheld: the Nintendo 2DS.