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Resort, Fit Plus, NSMB will sell 10m each News
Wii News by Oli Welsh
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said he expects Nintendo's three big 2009 releases - Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus and New Super Mario Bros. Wii - to sell 10 million copies each within this fiscal year.
Iwata made the bullish statement in the company's first quarter investor briefing. "I believe each of these three software titles have the potential to surpass 10 million copies worldwide in the whole fiscal year," he said.
Their E3 showings gave him confidence, he added. "They were highly evaluated by most of those who actually tried them. Distributors also gave feedback like 'The key player of this holiday season will be Nintendo as expected.'"
Iwata was responding to concerns that Nintendo's release schedule was too heavily weighted towards the end of the year. In its 2008/9 year, Nintendo released Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii in its spring first quarter and sold over 15 million of each. However, Wii Music and Animal Crossing: City Folk floundered later in the year, and led to a slowdown in hardware sales for the company.
"Wii Music and Animal Crossing: City Folk did not fulfil our expectations and only sold through 2.65 and 3.38 million copies respectively," Iwata lamented. "Should those two titles have become long-term selling software, we would not have faced a shortage of software titles in the former half of this year."
He added: "So we find that the reason of downturn in Wii sales can be attributed to two main factors - we could not launch Wii Sports Resort earlier and could not make the software launched in the last holiday season have longer tails."
But "I am not worried about the launch schedules of Wii Fit Plus and Super Mario Bros. Wii," he concluded.
Having admitted that New Super Mario Bros. Wii's E3 unveiling was underwhelming, Iwata's faith in the game is surprising - but not unwarranted. It was our game of the show - and the DS New Super Mario Bros. has sold some 18 million copies to date.
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The Eurogamer TV Show: Nintendo special [16] 22 June, 2009
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Wii Sports Resort nearing 7m sold [12]
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UK Wii bundle instead of price cut [43]
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Wii Sports Resort sells 1m in Europe [16]
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Wii Sports Resort sells a million in Japan [13]
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UK charts: Wii Sports Resort on top [17]
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15 July, 2008 [4]
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donnie080208
10/08/09 @ 10:17
-4
the 3 games mentioned show that nintys wii is starved of ideas and is allready reduced to churning out nominal updates.i have no doubt wii fit plus etc will sell obscenely well but it just goes to show what suckers the "casual" game buying public really are.the wii is the worst lead console in the history of gaming imo with very few redeeming features.at least sonys ps1/2 had some excellent games to equal the dross but the wii has a 90/10 share of crap games imo.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 10/08/09 @ 11:19
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0
Because we're currently inundated with great 2D platform games amirite?
If your games collection includes even one FPS or driving game please remove yourself from the gene pool. Yet another wag who thinks that Nintendo are required to constantly innovate in unimaginable ways on one day, and then complains when they don't quite like what they see the next. |
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+7
I'm not too sure that Wii fit plus will sell all that well. Only those who bought the original and actually use it will be interested in the plus edition. I have Wii fit and it's gathering dust under the coffee table and has been for months. I have no intention of buying anymore wii fit products as it would be a waste of money. I doubt very much many casual gamers will bother either.
As for new super mario brothers. I may pick that up as I'm a mario fan. |
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Monkey_Puncher
10/08/09 @ 10:52
-1
It's no wonder Nintendo don't feel the need to release proper games any more, when they can just get away with regurgitating the same tired old crap and have it sell umpteen millions.
Wii Sports Resort was fun, but New Super Mario Bros? I played that game on the Nes, why should I pay full price for some new levels in 2009? It was nice on the DS, it suited that platform, but as a full console release? Jeez... I'm sure it'll sell by the bucket load though. |
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0
"If your games collection includes even one FPS or driving game please remove yourself from the gene pool.
Yet another wag who thinks that Nintendo are required to constantly innovate in unimaginable ways on one day, and then complains when they don't quite like what they see the next." Being an elitist twit and then complaining about them in the same post makes you a hypocrite. EDIT: But then, looking at your games collection, I welcome the notion that you remove yourself from the gene pool.
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most recently on 10/08/09 @ 11:59
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+3
penhalion: As the Balance Board still regularly charts in the top five and there are now closing on 30 million of them out there, I think it will easily hit 10 million in various ways:
1. For folks who are board (geddit?) with the games and exercises in the original. 2. Those looking to stimulate themselves into picking it up again and most importantly: 3. Christmas gifts. I wouldn't be surprised if it just gets bundled with the original as well anyway. edit: indeed I actually think it's a safer bet to hit 10 million than NSMB. Not that I doubt any of them.
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most recently on 10/08/09 @ 12:01
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Cloud-Strife
10/08/09 @ 11:15
+2
Meh, gimme metroid, galaxy 2 and golden sun this xmas and we'll be square nintendo...
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Teamallstar
10/08/09 @ 11:34
-6
Are there really that many people willing to spend money on something they will play once and then put away for the next six months!
I knew I should have bought shares in nintendo! |
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Penguinzoot
10/08/09 @ 11:43
+3
If your games collection includes even one FPS or driving game please remove yourself from the gene pool.
Even for a comments thread that's pretty funny ;) |
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makeamazing
10/08/09 @ 11:58
+2
I am not convinced on Wii Fit Plus.. dont know too much about it, but as many people have purchased Wii Fit, and maybe some of those moved on to Active, I cannot see people getting Wii Fit plus. Will be interesting to see.
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+8
"sales for the actal console have dried up - PRACTICALLY EVERYONE has it"
No, sales levels have recently "only" been down at PS2 rates, instead of the unprecedented sales that it exhibited in its first 18 months of being on sale. A long way away from 'dried up'. It's actually only done just over a third of PS2 sales in total as well, so it would probably be wrong to assume that 'practically everyone has it' as well. |
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Alterego-X
10/08/09 @ 13:48
+10
"Cash up now Nintendo on the gaming indrustry, you can't pull the same trick twice, go media instead you've got the IPs to focus on fitness and tool products so publish like Sega with the games and go all out media"
Yeah, I'm sure that the console market leader company, that also has the GREATEST employee/profit ratio on PLANET F*CKING EARTH, desperately needs your business advice, that involves completely changing the ways that made them that successful...
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donnie080208
10/08/09 @ 14:13
-8
nintendo and the WII have added nothing to gaming EXCEPT the idea of motion control which i think is still unproven critically if not commercially with the wii"s best games not really using or needing it.the above games are selling on the wii "fad" and if they were on another platform they would be laughed at.
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KrissAkabusi
10/08/09 @ 14:21
+2
I love hearing the "nintendo can't pull the same trick twice" line when people talk about the next gen.
Nintendo were forced into a corner after the relative failure of the Gamecube last gen and would be dead right now if they hadn't differentiated themselves from the other two players. Next time round Nintendo have wads of profits to go with and will be in a far better position to produce a machine with as much grunt as Sony/MS's offerings. |
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electrolite
10/08/09 @ 14:44
+8
"Cash up now Nintendo on the gaming indrustry, you can't pull the same trick twice, go media instead you've got the IPs to focus on fitness and tool products so publish like Sega with the games and go all out media"
One of the funniest things I've ever read. A company that's led 3 out of the last 5 console generations, dominated the handheld market for 20 years, and makes profit on its hardware, should stop making consoles. |
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electrolite
10/08/09 @ 14:45
+7
"if they were on another platform they would be laughed at. "
A new 2D Mario platformer laughed at? Your idea of what constitutes credible gaming is hideous to me. |
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+2
@KrissAkabusi
Next time round Nintendo have wads of profits to go with and will be in a far better position to produce a machine with as much grunt as Sony/MS's offerings. With all due respect isn't this the exact attitude Sony had and look what happened there. Consumers are both fickle and very ready to abandon even the most successful ship if they feel they are being taken advantage of or ripped off! |
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+10
nintendo and the WII have added nothing to gaming EXCEPT the idea of motion control
The Wii doesn't owe its success to the motion controls alone (and let's not forget the pointer here as well). There are a whole bunch of reasons: 1. Not HD - by not confusing or restricting consumers who don't own a HDTV it could sell to anyone; 2. Lifestyle games - the 'Wii ______' lineup is a masterclass in creating software suitable for all; 3. Low launch price. It looks expensive now, but compared to the previous £299 launches and the £279 360 and £425 PS3 it was something of a break with tradition, especially bundled with its killer app; 4. Universal marketing image - here is a console that isn't aimed only at 16-30 year old males; 5. Sheer word of mouth - no-one can deny that the Wii has been part of the Zeitgeist far more than any other console before it. Gaming as a whole is now a bigger market thanks to the Wii. Just because it doesn't enlarge the (in my opinion already oversaturated) core market, doesn't mean it's added nothing. It's added quite a few million new people to the userbase, and to borrow a delightfully patronising turn of phrase made by one of the other company execs, they may 'graduate' to the other systems and grow the market as a whole, meaning more stuff in the end for everyone. In summary: Better in than out!
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kangarootoo
10/08/09 @ 15:20
0
@lord
Good post. Your earlier gene pool comment was still a sack of crap though ;) |
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Alterego-X
10/08/09 @ 15:38
0
@KrissAkabusi
"Next time round Nintendo have wads of profits to go with and will be in a far better position to produce a machine with as much grunt as Sony/MS's offerings." That is true, and a very important part of Nintendo's strategy. Since 2006: Sony already lost all of the PS2 profits, and half of the PS1's ($3,5 billion) Microsoft lost ~$3 billion, added to the ~$6 billion loss on the original xbox. Nintendo profited ~11 billion http://vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=... If, let's say, either of the former two would release a new console, that would suggest PS3-like sales in its first year, they would instantly discontinue it to avoid further harm to the mother-company. Even if Nintendo would make such a failure, they would have years to sit down, and carefully design a better plan, and only lose a fragment of their Wii profits. |
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kangarootoo
10/08/09 @ 15:56
0
@lord
I agree with the point, I just think you undermined yourself in the way you made it. |
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+5
>"this is just more evidence that Nintendo care only about money now. "
As opposed to... I dunno... microsoft for example? He was giving a presentation to share holders.. of COURSE he was talking money/profit. Gawd.. I hope you never get into business as you have a major case of the stupids >"great games yes but not a this gen game " What prey-tell exactly IS a "this gen" game? ANOTHER generic grey shooter perhaps?
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most recently on 10/08/09 @ 17:32
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+1
Quote : "With all due respect isn't this the exact attitude Sony had and look what happened there. Consumers are both fickle and very ready to abandon even the most successful ship if they feel they are being taken advantage of or ripped off!"
After NINE rrod's - i know which company i'm going to abandon next gen. (hint - it wont be the one where i just spent the whole weekend replaying mario galaxy on) |
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kangarootoo
10/08/09 @ 16:32
+3
@smelly
You are wasting your time dude. This whole "they care about money!" bollox has been around in games as long as I can remember. It is the refuge of fantasists who operate under the illusion than Ginster's make pasties 'cos they like to see a smile on a tired coal miner's face and BMW make cars because they want everyone's kids to get to school on time. |
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Monkey_Puncher
10/08/09 @ 16:54
-1
So I'm not impressed with Nintendo's re-releases any more, that must automatically mean I drag my knuckles on my floor and grunt while I play Halo. I have no interest in either Halo or Gears, but thanks for letting me know Nintendo Defence Force are still using the same old tired "OMGZ JUST COZ ITZ NOT A SHOOTA" line.
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donnie080208
10/08/09 @ 17:26
-5
@LORD i stand by my claim that the wii has added nothing to gaming and feel the people who enjoy the wii/new to gaming would be better served on another platform.banjo/lbp/next gen fifa/ etc are all superior, have longer lasting appeal compared to the wii and its comparable games.adding 4 player to what is basically a 20 year old platformer is not inotive but a SHAMEFULL REHASH
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0
"adding 4 player to what is basically a 20 year old platformer is not inotive but a SHAMEFULL REHASH "
(insert comment about adding multiplayer to a 15 year old first person shooter here) "Animal Crossing on the Wii deserved to flounder. " Agree.. Loved the cube version.. Wii version i got bored of very quickly - seen it all before
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KrissAkabusi
11/08/09 @ 00:02
0
@penhalion
"With all due respect isn't this the exact attitude Sony had and look what happened there. Consumers are both fickle and very ready to abandon even the most successful ship if they feel they are being taken advantage of or ripped off!" Not really, because Sony put their whole focus on the power of the machine and neglected the gaming. Nintendo wouldn't have to make the same mistake. Point is I don't think Nintendo will stay as far behind the other two, if behind at all, in the horsepower stakes next time round and that should leave things out for conversions of GTA, COD etc, which are a big part of the Sony/MS success of this gen. |
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Alterego-X
11/08/09 @ 00:16
0
"GTA, COD etc, which are a big part of the Sony/MS success of this gen."
What success? If Nintendo would need third party games, they would buy all publishers from the 10something billion dollar profits they had this gen, or at least "convince" them to develop exclusives. But they are fine without third parties, so they spend that money on proceeding to take over the market, and allow the third parties to turn to them in case they don't wish to go bankrupt or something... |
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0
Wii Sports Resort will probably break 20 million by year out it's incredible. I'm not sure about the others. A lot of people criticised Wii Fit for how quickly people stopped using the software, sales of Wii Fit Plus will more accurately reflect the reality of the situation and we'll see how many return customers it gets. I reckon it'll make the ten million but only.
NSMBWii could go anywhere, Everyone loves Mario Bros and the game will undoubtedly be of outstanding quality but has the market been conditioned away from 2D platformers on home consoles? The last 2D platformer to sell outrageous numbers on a home console was probably Donkey Kong Country 3. I suppose the first three Crash Bandicoot games might as well also be classified as 2D platformers to, maybe. |
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0
@MilkybKid1985
So you can sympathise with smelly then? You know what getting the RROD once is like. Now imagine it times nine. There's no need for it. I did go through two PS2s though, as did my cousin, but I gather the PS3 has no significant problems. I also have never had any problems with Nintendo consoles (They are all chugging along, apart from my brothers Game Boy™). |
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KrissAkabusi
11/08/09 @ 10:54
+1
@alterego
Erm, yeah, kinda think you got the point I was making that third parties will likely come to Nintendo next gen if they have a level playing field tech-wise. Right now a lot of companies can't make the games they want on Wii, not that I blame Nintendo at all for that, the situation has been born from circumstances of last gen. And yes, at the moment, Nintendo are fine without real third party support. The point there was, will Sony or MS do fine when they have even more competition on the multi-platform front. |
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-1
@MilkybKid1985 : You probably wont read this. But most of my RROD's have had to do with them sending me back broken replacements.
And if im honest - I use "rrod" as a generic term for the thing needing replacing. 2 replacements were for other reasons why it broke. One i had back for 2 days before the drive mechanism stopped working and it stopped recognising games. Bioshock displayed an image telling me that it wouldnt work in a xbox! and that it was designed for a 360?!?!? |
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