Wii hardware sales to pick up next month
With the NPD data coming in yesterday, many thought the Wii’s numbers were low, and they were right. Last month was the slowest selling month for the Nintendo Wii since it launched, but don’t think this trend will continue as WIi Sports Resort will in fact bring them back to glory.
This month Wii Sports Resort sold 500,000 copies in North America, and many would think that the numbers for that would push hardware sales, but contrary to what analysts say, they are wrong. Iwata himself predicted something analysts are just not remembering with Nintendo titles.
“As for how Wii Sports Resort will affect Wii hardware sales, I hear it’s slightly driving the hardware sales, but not significantly. It has not doubled or tripled sales and I do not expect it to do so in the following weeks. We have developed some titles which sell well in the long term while driving hardware sales, starting with Brain Age.
These software have some things in common; they take six to eight weeks to start driving the hardware sales. We can not logically explain why they take exactly six or eight weeks. Almost every title has a very low hardware driving ratio right after its launch. After six or eight weeks from launch, if the title still maintains its sales momentum, its driving ratio starts to rise.”
*Nintendo Financial Report
Iwata does have a point, and while Resort is selling very well right now, it is probably mostly due to existing owners buying it at launch. We will not see the fruits of Resort labor till, as Iwata stated, the next couple of months. In that time frame New Super Mario Bros. will be released with an updated Wii Fit Plus coming right behind it. Remember many people need to play the game first at a friends house to see if they want it, meaning that the 500,000 copies out in circulation are now trying to encourage other people to buy not only the game, but a Wii as well.
This holiday will be vastly greater in sales for the Wii than last years, if we take into consideration how much better the software choices are from last years. Last year brought Animal Crossing and Wii Music, we have a feeling Wii Fit Plus, Resort, and New Super Mario Bros. will do better sales for Wii than they did last year at the same time.
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