Nintendo Wii U sales were expected to taper off at some point, the only question was when. “Where it’s going to get a little more challenging is around the May time frame or when warm whether shows up again, “ said analyst John Taylor of Arcadia in November just before the console’s release. “I think Nintendo is going to really need to demonstrate what is truly amazing about this by that time.” Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter echoed the sentiment, saying then that Wii U’s steep cost to consumers will cause it to “quickly lose momentum.” No market analyst, game publisher, or Nintendo shareholder was likely prepared for just how quickly Nintendo would lose what little momentum it had though. According to the NPD Group and other sources, Nintendo had a catastrophic January.
The NPD Group does not provide exact sales numbers for video game software or hardware any longer, but a representative of the research firm did confirm to Gamasutra on Thursday night that Wii U console sales at the end of three months on the market, are 38-percent below those of the Nintendo Wii during its launch quarter in from November 2006 to January 2007. Extrapolating from that sales data compiled at a time when the NPD Group did report exact numbers for hardware sales, that places Wii U sales for January around 55,000. A source from within the NPD Group wouldn’t confirm that number, but did say that Wii U sales were “well below 100,000.”
To put that in perspective, the Xbox 360 remained on top of the console sales chart the U.S. for the 25th consecutive month after selling 281,000 consoles.
Wii U software sales also look rough for Nintendo in January. Not a single exclusive broke into the top ten, and of those multiplatform games on the system, the Wii U version trailed all others. Even Skylanders Giants, a game Activision positioned as a marquee for Wii U, came in last on the console, bested by the original Wii. The same was true of Madden NFL 13 and Just Dance 4.
The abrupt cancellation of Rayman Legends’ February release (so it can jump to other consoles) suddenly makes more sense to industry watchers.
Nintendo needs to do something drastic to change the Wii U’s future. When Nintendo dropped the price of the Nintendo 3DS in July 2011, it was seen as a disaster for the company. Its stock was ravaged. Company president Satoru Iwata took a 50-percent pay cut, and over the 3DS’ first three months on shelves it sold approximately 700,000 units in the US, and it caused a massive shift in Nintendo’s strategy. The Nintendo Wii U, a device that is between $50 and $100 more than the $250 launch price of the Nintendo 3DS, and whose games are on average $20 more expensive, has sold approximately the same number of consoles over the same period in the country. A drastic price cut and aggressive game development turned around the 3DS’ commercial prospects (even though software sales are still stagnant.) With Sony announcing its next console at the end of the month and Microsoft expected to follow shortly thereafter, Nintendo has no choice: It must lower the price of the Wii U if the machine is to survive.
My kids and I love the Wii U. We literally roll around on the floor laughing when playing the multiplayer games like Nintendo Land. My son, the gamer of the family tends to use the gamepad as our team captain on some games or nemesis on other games. It is difficult to explain but the gamepad adds a new dimension in not only how we play,but also how we communicate when we play. I’m also amazed by the things my son can do with the gamepad on Batman Arkham City. Mario and Luigi look great in 1080P btw! I’m also impressed by the browser and how YouTube works. And this morning we downloaded the Wii Street U app…which has been a complete WOW! I know the Wii U has been getting a bum wrap because sales are slow…..but I think that has to do with the need for more new content. I’m hoping more developers apply there creativity to using the gamepad to enhance the serious gamer experience while also looking ways to create new memorable multiplayer experiences! In the mean time however, I feel we’ve received tremendous entertainment for the price we paid and looking forward to what is yet to come!
You couldn’t say it better. Wii U is an awesome system; it’s not all about big graphics, a server processor or tremendous storage. Playing video game is the art of having fun with family, going to sleep waiting for the next day to play again and living a unique experience using the controls and peripherals, I really think nintendo did it very well.
Even those that now are talking nonsense of nintendo once played mario, zelda, metroid, etc. when there was no Sony or Microsoft in the industry.
“A drastic price cut and aggressive game development turned around the 3DS’ commercial prospects (even though software sales are still stagnant.”
factually false
Ths is how I feel: The WiiU is technically on-par with current systems from Sony and Microsoft but offers far fewer titles. When the new systems drop from those two companies, the WiiU is going to seem incredibly underpowered and stale. And still have fewer titles launching. It seems like every other day I’m reading a developer’s thoughts on why the WON’T be bringing a title to the Nintendo platform. They all seem to be gearing up for the next generation Playstation and XBox. I can easily see the WiiU getting left behind.
Enough of this negative slant please, all system start as bad
Not really. Even at it’s worst month, the PS3 managed to sell 87,000 units. It’s not negative slant when it’s reality.
You are correct, sir. Numbers are numbers.
They don’t need a price drop–they need an increase in solid first-person titles that will garner enough interest to the system to invite third-party developers to support the Wii U. To be honest, the Wii U’s not really overpriced–it just seems that way in comparison to the lack of living up to its promise.
Technically, the console is almost twice as powerful as PS3, probably worth about $200 USD, and it features a controller that’s probably worth about $80 to $100 USD. Even the current PS3 is selling for $299 USD. Buying the 8GB version of Wii U is already a better deal than what’s currently out, technically-speaking–paying $50 more for the 32GB version is about the right price for what it is.
The only problem is, there aren’t many games from NINTENDO themselves making it a worthy investment. They’re targeting too many families and not enough long-time Nintendo gamers. Veterans want those F-Zero and Metroid games that Nintendo’s being hesitant in announcing or developing. They don’t care much about Nintendo Land or NSMB.
Nintendo can still target families and the more casual gamers (and they SHOULD–it’s a big market and Nintendo thrives in it better than Sony and Microsoft do), but they’ve GOT to remember and prioritize the longtime gamers FIRST–they’re the ones who buy more than five games a year, and not so much the families and casual gamers, who tend to be satisfied with two or three games a year.
Nintendo’s got to remember that to cater to core/longtime gamers, you’ve got to do better than just announcing two titles in development. As much as I dearly want that new Zelda and Super Smash Bros. in development, they’re not enough. Through in a F-Zero or Metroid or new IP altogether.