Nintendo No Longer Distributing Consoles And Games In Brazil

'Cubemen 2' For Wii U To Be Released On Sept. 4, 2014 [WATCH VIDEOS] — A man looks at software for Nintendo Co's Wii U game consoles at an electronics retail store in Tokyo January 20, 2014. Shares in Nintendo Co Ltd tumbled by nearly a fifth on Monday after it warned of a third straight year of operating losses, heaping pressure on the creator of "Super Mario" to abandon its policy of not licensing its software to rivals. Reuters/Yuya Shino

Due to Brazil's high tariffs for electronics and video game consoles, Nintendo has announced that it is no longer distributing consoles and games to the country despite "many passionate fans" that live in the country. Effective January 2015, there will be not be anymore Wii U's or 3Ds', nor will there by any games for these consoles as reported by Polygon. Despite these massive changes, Nintendo's distributor Juegos de Video Latinoamerica remains the distributor for Nintendo products in Latin America. Just not for Brazil.

Nintendo has had many long withstanding problems since the company announced that the Wii U would be available in Brazil back in 2013, one of which was digital purchases on the Wii U online store. According to Uol Jogos, Nintendo did not properly prepare their stores to take certain credit cards from Brazil and in return players in that country were not able to purchase classic games from the store or any exclusives that would have to be purchased from there.

Another problem was the price. Video game consoles are ridiculously expensive in Brazil; at one point Gamespot reported that a PlayStation 4 from Brazil costs 3,999 Brazilian Real, which estimates at $1,850. The Xbox One on the otherhand costs 2,200 Brazillian Reals, which is significantly cheaper than Sony's console. This can be attributed to Microsoft having a Brazilian manufacturer, which neither Sony nor Nintendo have, though Sony has suggested the solution in the past.

The Nintendo Wii U debuted in Brazil for 1,899 Brazilian Reals, which amounts to $700. Though significantly cheaper than the consoles from Microsoft and Sony, it is still much more expensive there then in other countries. A report from Kotaku suggested that Microsoft's Xbox 360 was the most popular console there, with Nintendo not being able to build a big enough audience in the country, hence their leaving.

"Brazil is an important market for Nintendo and home to many passionate fans, but unfortunately, challenges in the local business environment have made our current distribution model in the country unsustainable," a company spokesman said. The company also stated that they would continue monitoring Brazil's business environment and find a way to do right for their Brazilian fans.