50,000 Wiis sold in UK

By Games Industry.biz Published 8 December, 2006

That's, er, one per second.

Following the launch of the Wii across Europe at Midnight last night, Nintendo UK has reported that 50,000 units of the console were sold in just 12 hours.

That equates to one sale every second, according to Nintendo - much to the satisfaction of UK boss David Yarnton.

Head over to GamesIndustry.biz for the full report.

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Comments (50) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Roamer #1 5 years ago

    Impressive.

  • DaveLondon #2 5 years ago

    I'm sure all the sales staff are drained...

  • strangeed #3 5 years ago

    Anyone have figures for the rest of Europe?

    /whispering in the background

    What? Oh, I see UKrogamer

    Ah well
    Edited by 1 at 08/12/06 @ 17:24

  • kangarootoo #4 5 years ago

    I wonder how many apples were sold in the same 12 hour period?

  • Nova5lag #5 5 years ago

    Im a launch stat! Wii! \0/

  • JSD124 #6 5 years ago

    Not enough

    Edit: To the apple thing.
    Edited by 1 at 08/12/06 @ 17:26

  • Muddtallica #7 5 years ago

    What's with all the people complaining about the UK slant of the site lately? :S It's a UK-based site, so it prioritises the UK, and is likely to get the UK sales figures first. There's a German version too, isn't there?

    Good sales figures, but it's really not that hard to sell out a console on launch day...these things sell millions in the long run, and when you're only releasing a few hundred thousand at first, demand will always outstrip supply. How it's doing next year is the real test...good start, though.

  • theweaze #8 5 years ago

    i got mine after queing up outside john lewis at 6 am along with a few other nintendo freaks, dont think the mums were impressed come 5 to 9 tho. only 10 in stock and not a controller or wiiplay to be found anywhere in reading!

  • rock27gr #9 5 years ago

    50,000? So that is how much they relleased for launch???

    Isn't that too little? I mean even the GC was like 68,000 or something, and Xbox360 was surely much more.

  • Tomnd #10 5 years ago

    you know what, i got a N64 on launch day back in 97. There were only 20,000 released on launch day in the uk and i pre-ordered it a week before. This time i got nada....

  • Daryoon #11 5 years ago

    IT'S OVER NINE-THOUSAND!

  • rock27gr #12 5 years ago

    Yes, but my point was more like, they suposedly have a product that can be mass-produced much easier that Xbox360 or PS3; surely then they could have managed to release more that 100,000 for the first day!

  • Gurgeh #13 5 years ago

    copied from another thread ([link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articl e_discussion.php?article_id=70777&comment_start=50)
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/article_discuss...[/link]

    NPD console sales figures for the USA in November:

    DS: 918,000
    PS2: 664,000
    GBA: 641,000
    XBox360: 511,000
    Wii: 476,000*
    PSP: 412,000
    PS3: 197,000**

    * Nintendo had reported 600,000 sold. After the NPD report came out they clarified this to be "for all the Americas" rather than just the USA.

    ** about what EA predicted and half Sony's target

  • m0thr4 #14 5 years ago

    > I wonder how many apples were sold in the same 12 hour period?

    Impossible to say, as the sales of the country's greengrocers are not recorded centrally.

  • m0thr4 #15 5 years ago

    I would like to know the stats of other recent games consoles within the same timeframe, otherwise this figure of 50,000 (or 1 per second) is completely arbitrary and not in the least bit impressive.
    Edited by 1 at 08/12/06 @ 18:12

  • septimus #16 5 years ago

    Sod all really in comparison to USA and Japan.

    Shame we aren't important enough to warrant more stock.

  • twinbee #17 5 years ago

    Very impressive for just 12 hours.

    Also the NPD figure for the X-Box 360 are not correct and will be fixed soonish.

  • chupachups #18 5 years ago

    "What's with all the people complaining about the UK slant of the site lately? :S It's a UK-based site, so it prioritises the UK, and is likely to get the UK sales figures first. There's a German version too, isn't there? "

    1. If it's a UK site, why is it called Eurogamer? It even has a picture of the continent in its logo ( http://ww w.eurogamer.net/img/EurogamerPa... )

    2. Most of Europe isn't German and doesn't speak German. English is by far the most widely-spoken language.
    Edited by 1 at 08/12/06 @ 19:05

  • Laserbream #19 5 years ago

    Europe is a distant 3rd for Nintendo. Not much more to say really.

  • Og #20 5 years ago

    And I couldn't get one :(

  • morriss #21 5 years ago

    Well let's hope Nintendo have made a console that'll be around in 2 years time.

    I'm showing my support in Jan.

  • MadMirko #22 5 years ago

    2. Most of Europe isn't German and doesn't speak German. English is by far the most widely-spoken language.

    Hm, Germany is the most populous of all European countries. There are about 25 mil more Germans than people in Great Britian, f.ex. Also consider that German is also official language in Switzerland and Austria. So there are certainly more German native speakers than anything else.

    That's probably why there is a German edition Eurogamer. I'd rather have Eurogamer being a true European magazine, instead of having a UK and a German branch.
    Edited by 1 at 08/12/06 @ 20:15

  • tobi #23 5 years ago

    PSP's 3 day launch total was 185,000 lets see if the Wii can beat that!

  • Dirtie #24 5 years ago

    But PS3 hasn't launched in Europe yet :p

  • J*C #25 5 years ago

    Not impressed with the wii sorry :( its gamecube 1.5, not worth the asking price at the moment.

  • Steroyd #26 5 years ago

    That's 50,000 more than what Sony sold PS3's in the Uk...

    ....oh.

    I too am not wildly convinced by the wii as with the DS, the most imaginitive uses of the touchscreen are from Nintendo themselves, and i feel it's going to be similar on the Wii.

  • Aria #27 5 years ago

    @J*C
    You're obviously missing the whole point...

  • QPRobbie #28 5 years ago

    That's 50,000 in 12 hours - ie 50,000 from midnight Thursday up until mid-day Friday, with still a day and a half to go for the proper launch weekend figure. Why the eagerness to rain on Wii's parade?

  • Genji #29 5 years ago

    "You're obviously missing the whole point..."

    No, he isn't. If it doesn't appeal to him right now, it doesn't appeal to him right now.

    This launch lineup is pretty limited if you don't want the Wii as a party console. We'll see what he thinks about it in a year's time.

  • manic_mouse #30 5 years ago

    "This launch lineup is pretty limited if you don't want the Wii as a party console."

    Indeed, especially if you consider the fact that the Wii's "killer app" is in fact a GC title. So minus Zelda what does it have? Not that much IMHO. Mini-game paradise if you like that kind of thing, but lacking in anything of more substance. Until MP3 is out, of course.

  • ProtoformX #31 5 years ago

    Regarding Wonka's post by his friend, I wish I'd hung around. I got my Wii from Game in West Quay (Same shopping centre that John Lewis is in) and as I walked back through the centre I noticed John Lewis' shutters going up had opened and I used it as a shortcut outside. I must've missed the race by mere seconds.
    And no, I wasn't the arse who wandered up and down the queue with my Wii - my Wii was in a holdall on my back so as to make me less of a target for muggers. I was paranoid, see. :-)
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/06 @ 11:41

  • jaec #32 5 years ago

    Tomnd:
    "you know what, i got a N64 on launch day back in 97. There were only 20,000 released on launch day in the uk and i pre-ordered it a week before. This time i got nada...."

    I didn't even pre-order my N64 and still got one on launch. I pre-ordered the Wii from Play the morning it appeared as well as from Chips, Gamestation and Currys (1st in queue) and still didn't get one (The 4 local Asda and Argos' (My on-the-day fall backs) didn't get any in) - Should be in the second batch though.

    Apparently Nintendo are holding back consoles so they can have a steady stream throughout Christmas. If its true, then I think it was a mistake. The idea was a good one but they should have at least shipped enough at launch to cover the pre-orders.

    Oh well, guess I'll just have to read the SMB and Zelda manuals until I get one.

  • chupachups #33 5 years ago

    "Hm, Germany is the most populous of all European countries. There are about 25 mil more Germans than people in Great Britian, f.ex. Also consider that German is also official language in Switzerland and Austria. So there are certainly more German native speakers than anything else. "

    There's a massive difference between being the biggest and being the majority.

    Yes, Germany is indeed Europe's largest country, but 90 million out of 450 million is still only a fraction of the overall population of the EU, it's not even a quarter.

    European video games are all released in English with some titles never having a German-language option. English is the language of commerce across Europe, and it's also the de facto language of the European Union's government, it's the language they expect the most people to understand.

    Even if you add Austria and parts of Switzerland and all the people in other countries who study German, you're still looking at a smaller number of people speaking German than English. DWTV (the German international news channel) is in English half the time, because it knows that English is a better way to reach their pan-European audience than German.

    That's why Eurogamer.net (in English) has a far better claim to being the European site than Eurogamer.de (in German).
    Edited by 3 at 09/12/06 @ 13:51

  • jaec #34 5 years ago

    W00t! second batch came in this afternoon at Gamestation, I have a Wii!

  • UncleLou #35 5 years ago

    That's why Eurogamer.net (in English) has a far better claim to being the European site than Eurogamer.de (in German).

    Content-wise, it's a UK site. And take a look at the forum: At a guess, 95% of the forumites are native English speakers. Not that I mind either, don't get me wrong.

    You're generally overestimating the capabilities of the English language to reach a Europe-wide audience a little bit.

    edit:
    clarification: Not that I think German would be better suited to reach gamers in non-German speaking countries, on the contrary.
    Edited by 1 at 09/12/06 @ 21:07

  • monkey-ken-wizard #36 5 years ago

    Hats off to Nintendo for marketing genius.
    Shockingly, it really is a gamecube with a novelty controller.
    Brilliant!

  • DanMW #37 5 years ago

    I was expecting more stock for the UK, I thought we'd get about 80,000 to 100,000. I hope Nintendo can keep the momentum going and the people interested in Wii by providing us more innovation, I can't wait to see what they can do with the DS connectivity, I'm expecting a lot more than with GC - GBA. The potential is there, and I only wish it is fulfilled by all developers not only Nintendo.

    If they can meet their 6 million target by the end of the current fiscal year, that'd be a very impressive achievement. If they are making 200,000 - 300,000 Wiis per week, how do they distribute them? one week for every continent? I'm surprised Nintendo didn't have more units readily available for launch, maibe they didn't foresee this level of interest.

  • Pablo2k5 #38 5 years ago

    Quote from chupachups... "If it's a UK site, why is it called Eurogamer?"
    The question is WHO GIVES A FLYING FCUK! ...ffs....
    Edited by 1 at 10/12/06 @ 15:01

  • Peemee #39 5 years ago

    "Hm, Germany is the most populous of all European countries. There are about 25 mil more Germans than people in Great Britian, f.ex. Also consider that German is also official language in Switzerland and Austria. So there are certainly more German native speakers than anything else. "

    YES.

    Strange though, that you write this in English, as all of us Europeans SURELY would more easily understand German.

    NOT!!

    All of Scandinavia is completely immersed in English, and will happily at least TRY to communicate in the lingo, whereas German is utterly foreign & obscure.

  • UncleLou #40 5 years ago

    Your English reading comprehension skills need some work though.

  • Peemee #41 5 years ago

    As if I'd BOTHER!

  • spongebob #42 5 years ago

    So umm.. PS2 outsold Wii in the States? Wha?

  • MadMirko #43 5 years ago

    So umm.. PS2 outsold Wii in the States? Wha?

    PS2 outsold em all in the States. No one is caring for the next gen. :) Number in parentheses is this year's total, first number is units sold in November. Oh, and one needs to take into account that the Wii has been released on the 15th, so it only had half a month to sell:

    PS2 664.000 (35.688.030)
    XBOX360 511.000 (3.800.000)
    WII 476.000 (476.000)
    PS3 197.000 (197.000)

    _Week_ starting 27th Nov in Japan:

    Wii 350.358 (350.358)
    NDSLITE 176.901 (6.132.183)
    PS3 31.436 (187.796)
    PSP 23.917 (1.564.018)
    PS2 23.115 (1.298.367)
    XBOX360 4.053 (110.503)

    I still find it amazing how much gaming hardware is sold in Japan..., but 50000 Wii in 12 hours in the UK alone is certainly nothing to sneeze at.
    Edited by 2 at 10/12/06 @ 20:30

  • Karrde #44 5 years ago

    I was that guy in West Quay on crutches! Knee operation a few days before, but I thought I might just still be able to get one.

    I had worst day ever Friday. 6th in the queue at the gates and then a 2 floor dash on crutches wasn't fun, to end up 13th in a queue for ten.

    Was annoyed with John Lewis. Stupid letting people run full pelt through a shop when a queue had been formed and people had clearly been there for 2 hours.

    And that guy with the Wii in the game bag was just strange.

    Wonka, where was the original post?

  • Nillsens #45 5 years ago

    Here in Holland there were apparently 10.000 units to go around, and from what I have seen I can safely say that has not been enough to satiate the gaming lust of the cloggies by far.

    On thursday night I decided I was going to camp outside of one of the biggest electronics retailers in Eindhoven. The "Media Markt" as it is called, was going to be my last chance, they had 20 units. I had a chair, a blanket and a liter of coffee in a thermos. That afternoon I had checked every single electronics store in the city center in the hope of finding a single overlooked Wii. Most places had started taking care of pre-orders on wednesday already. I would be damned if I was going to let every single Wii get away.
    In further prep. of the long evening... I went out and got totally pissed with mates before I had to go. I can't actually recollect what happened between 3-5 but my friend showed me a recording on his PDA and it was not a pretty sight. Frankly I'm amazed that I survived the way to the electronics store. About 6 people were there before I was, so I unfolded my chair and (in all likelyhood) started bothering them with how obscenely drunk I was. Then the long wait began. I went through my coffee and half a pack of cigs in record time, more people were turning up and it was obvious that the situation was going to be rather hectic. At this time one of the people that had arrived before me (hence one of the first) got the idea to hand out post-its with numbers on them to the people he had seen arrive shortly after himself. A very wise move ultimately, because about 15 minutes before the store would open a security bloke came outside through a side door and started handing out numbers... and thankfully first and foremost to us proud post-it waving pundits. By the time the door was going to open there were about 40 or so people waiting. Tension was noticeably rising at this point and you could hear people talking about how they were going to start running when the shutters started rising up, so most people started getting ready for the inevitable sprint.
    When the shutters finally started moving people instantly started pulling at them, trying to get them to go up faster. The second they were high enough for people to crawl under you saw the first people slide/roll under it. I waited until I could shoot under it from a crouched position so I could start sprinting the moment I made my move. With about 5 or so people in front of me I crashed through the turnstyles and bolted up the escalator. Just a short run from there, through the games section, to where the employees had created a makeshift barricade out of carts and boxes. From there they accepted the numbers handed out earlier. I was the third/fourth to get one handed to me. Many others were not so fortunate.

    After all that I had to walk home for 45 minutes because I had been so drunk I forgot where my bicycle was. It was raining too. But I don't think I have ever cared less :D
    Edited by 1 at 11/12/06 @ 03:40

  • lambtron #46 5 years ago

    lol you mentalist ;)

  • king_skins #47 5 years ago

    strange no one pointed out that they sold less than the 360... wasn't that around 75,000?

  • MadMirko #48 5 years ago

    You are aware that the 360 didn't sell however much in 12 hours? Or that 50k Wii was just every system available?

    Just pointing out that this discussion is about a launch (half-)day.

  • king_skins #49 5 years ago

    Yeah I know. The 360 launch day allocation was 75,000, which sold out.

    And you are aware that the 12hour thing is bullshit marketing, right?

  • garyliddon #50 5 years ago

    Shit. That thing about racing around John Lewis was from my blog

    http://ww w.blockcopycoders.com/index.php...

    Sorry about that man on crutches. I'm likely to burn for all of eternity if that's any consolation
    Edited by 2 at 11/12/06 @ 14:23