NoA to offer free game with Cube
Ninty takes a leaf from Microsoft's book
Taking its lead from Microsoft's successful strategy of offering free software with the Xbox in order to drive sales, Nintendo of America is to offer a free AAA title with all GameCubes purchased in the USA from February 9.
Customers purchasing a Cube at participating retailers after that date will be given a choice of four AAA Nintendo titles - Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 0, Star Fox Adventures or Mario Party 4 - which will be bundled with the console for free.
The GameCube currently retails at $149.99 in the USA; the bundled game brings the effective price of the console below $100. The offer runs through until May, and although no official plans exist to bring it to European consumers, a similar offer is likely to be on the cards here. Nintendo has little room left for price cuts on its hardware, and Microsoft's game bundling proved to be a hugely effective sales strategy here in the Christmas season.
