Whilst having a bit of a natter with IndustryGamers, Michael Pachter of analytical fame spoke of how the Wii’s decline in sales is down to not having a relevant system-seller. Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid Other M are not deemed to be desirable enough to shift Wii consoles much like Halo Reach or SOCOM 4 on their respective systems. He said “The hardcore Wii audience already has a Wii console, so these game launches aren’t likely to be catalysts. This far into the cycle, the only thing that really gets consoles moving is price cuts, and Nintendo was reluctant to cut price last year.”
One reason why Nintendo want to keep the cost of the Wii stationery is down to the fact that it’s still the number one selling console. Sales may not be as high as they once were but they’re considerably impressive for a console this far into its lifespan. The least powerful system is running rings around the powerful opposition and weekly charts are often littered with casual Wii titles. It’s almost as if the Wii doesn’t need that one alluring game as the system itself is what consumers are after. Most if not all come bundled with some form of casual experience that ‘keeps the kids quiet’ for a decent amount of time. The perception of success or failure in videogame sales has dramatically changed in the last few generations and it’s easy to forget how extraordinary the Wii has sold. Pachter is right though. Trains carrying the Wii’s profit maybe a few carriages short nowadays but all Nintendo need to do is release another limited edition coloured console (the black Wii helped give sales a 60% spike) and they could prolong their success for a few more months at least.
Back For Two Seconds 