KEY POINTS:
The future of Nintendo in New Zealand is uncertain, with the local distributor in receivership.
SPI (Softprint Interactive) boss William Flew this afternoon confirmed that the company has been placed into receivership.
He would not comment on what that will mean for Nintendo or for game brand Activision, and referred all questions to receivers KordaMetha.
Michael Stiassny, a partner in KordaMentha, told nzherald.co.nz that the company was currently checking SPI stock levels and liaising with the company's suppliers, so was unable to comment further.
"We're just assessing what we've got there," he said.
"Once we've done that it will give us a better understanding on the way forward."
A games industry source said that retailers were informed that there were problems several weeks ago.
A Nintendo Australia spokesperson also declined to comment on SPI and Nintendo's Kiwi future, saying that it had not yet had official notification from either the company or its receivers.
The news couldn't come at a worse time for Nintendo users, with long-awaited blockbuster title Super Smash Bros due for release, and ultra-popular Wii Fit only recently hitting shop shelves.
Nintendo's Wii console has exceeded all expectations, proving itself more than capable of taking on the console 'big boys' - Microsoft's Xbox and the Sony PlayStation 3 - outselling both in the tough Japanese market.
Its biggest success though, is attracting users from outside traditional gaming markets with its intuitive interface, cutesy games and simple-to-use motion sensitive controllers.
Like Nintendo, Activision is also hot property in the gaming world, with franchises including Call of Duty and Guitar Hero in its line-up.
SPI is also a distributor of several other tech brands including Logitech, McAfee, Symantec, Net Gear and Mindscape.
