WII LAUNCH

The 'Wii launch' in North America marks the last major seventh generation video game console to be released. The successor to the Nintendo GameCube was released in most territories in November and December 2006.

Contents

Announcement

Release dates and pricing

Titles

Sales

References

Announcement

At a June 7 2006 policy briefing, Nintendo revealed plans to release 6 million console units and 17 million software units during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007.^[1] This included the 4 million or more console units they expected to ship by the end of the 2006 calendar year.^[2] On September 14, 2006, it was announced that the majority of the 2006 shipments would be allotted to the Americas.^[3]
The Spanish launch of the Wii console was moved to December 9 2006, because December 8 2006 is the celebration of the Immaculate Conception and thus all shops were closed.^[4] The Italian and Swiss releases were moved to December 7, 2006.^[5]
Nintendo of Canada vice president and general manager Ron Bertram stated that the company expected to have one million consoles available in North America at launch, as reported by IGN on September 25, 2006.^[6] The next day, Nintendo branded the information as a "misstatement about the number of Wii consoles that will be available in the Americas during the launch rollout," and reiterated earlier statements of expected shipments of 4 million consoles worldwide by the end of 2006 with the largest allotment available in the Americas. The company affirmed that they "are working to ensure a plentiful supply and a consistent flow."^[2]
On December 26, 2006, Nintendo announced that they would release their console in South Korea by the end of 2007.^[8]

Release dates and pricing

★ ''Wii Sports comes packaged with the console in all regions excluding Japan.
† USD equivalent with local VAT, GST or sales tax removed for ease of comparison with territories that do not include taxes in consumer prices
‡ Retail price as estimated by, rather than suggested by, Nintendo¹⁹
§ Prices might be significantly lower on the informal market

Titles

On November 14 2006, it was confirmed that 21 titles would be available on launch day in North America and South America, with another 12 games being released in the 2006 launch window. This makes 33 games total.^[29] ''Wii Sports'' is included with the console bundle in all regions excluding Japan. Despite the price point of US$60 quoted for many seventh generation games,^[30] Wii titles cost at most US$50 at major retail stores.
For a full list of all titles available for the console since launch, see List of Wii games.
'Key:'

★ North America/South America

★ Europe

★ Japan

★ Australasia
'' was pushed as a launch title, but was eventually delayed to a release date of August 27, 2007 in the United States.^[43] Satoru Iwata also initially wished for ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' to be released at launch.

Sales

On November 28 2006, Nintendo reported that it had sold over 600,000 consoles in the first eight days of launch in the Americas. Including the sales of accessories and games, Nintendo's Wii-related revenue has hit $190 million since its debut.^[44]
The Wii launched in Japan on December 2, 2006. Japan initially received 400,000 Wii consoles,^[45] with around an estimate of 370,000 sold in two days, with Wii Sports and Wii Play being the top two selling games.^[46] While many PlayStation 3 consoles were resold on online auctions for a much higher price, the average Wii price on Yahoo! Auctions were only 30,000 ¥ (USD: $260).^[47] This is perhaps because more people wanted to use the consoles, rather than resell it, as the Wii software tie ratio was 1.69.^[48]
On December 12 2006, sales data analysis firm Chart-Track and Nintendo confirmed with several press outlets in the United Kingdom that the Wii had become the fastest selling video game console in the region's recorded history, selling 105,000 consoles in its opening weekend, trumping the previous record holder, Xbox 360, which posted sales numbers of 70,000 units.^[49] Nintendo announced on the following day that the Wii had sold 325,000 units across Europe in its first two days of sale, making it the fastest selling console across the entire European continent.^[50]
In the United Kingdom, gamers lined up at the midnight launch of the console at GAME and HMV. Queues from both retail stores stretched into back alleyways and side streets. GAME even provided them with slices of pizza and Wii branded umbrellas. HMV in the meanwhile, handed out goodie bags containing Wii-branded T-shirts and Legend of Zelda posters. Celebrities such as Pat Cash and Ian Wright turned up to promote the Wii. For a sample of the reaction from gamers, celebrities and others, see video here. As reported in March 2007, the Wii is not generally available in stores throughout the UK as many preorders have not been filled.UK Wiis "Like Gold Dust" (March 6, 2007) IGN. Retrieved on March 19 2007.
On December 14 2006, it was announced that the Wii console had become the fastest selling console in Australian history with 32,901 units sold in just four days, beating the Xbox 360's opening weekend record of 30,241 units.^[51]
In Singapore, local distributor Maxsoft said that 2,000 consoles were sold in the first 2 days of retail, much greater than for the launches of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and that many preorders remained unfulfilled due to a low stock inventory.^[52]
While the Wii launch was considerably smoother than that of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, it was not without its problems. Due to the scarcity of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, widespread price gouging began to form. Initial consumer reaction to the Wii appears to have been positive, with commentators judging the launch to have been successful,^[53] and some recent reports claiming that the Wii is currently outselling the PlayStation 3 (which launched in the same period although at a higher price and lower supply) by a factor of approximately 2-1 in the United States,^[54] as much as 4-1 in Japan, as much as 3-1 worldwide.^[55]
By April 2007, the ''Wall Street Journal'' declared Nintendo had "become the company to beat in the games business" with the Wii outselling its home system rivals and overshadowing the better selling Nintendo DS portable, also by Nintendo.Nick Wingfield and Yukari Iwatani Kane, Wii and DS Turn Also-Ran Nintendo Into Winner in Videogames Business, ''Wall Street Journal'', April 19, 2007 Nintendo's profits were up 77% on the fiscal year due to Nintendo DS and Wii sales.^[56]
On June 4 2007, it was announced that the Wii was outselling the PlayStation 3 by a five-to-one margin in Japan.^[57] As of July 3 2007, this has increased to a margin of six to one.^[58]
On August 15 Chart-Track and Eurogamer reported that the Wii had nearly surpassed one million sales in the United Kingdom. The Wii was also selling at a rate of four to one against the Xbox 360 and six to one against the PlayStation 3. The nine-month old Wii was on course in the UK to pass the sales of its predecessor, the Nintendo GameCube, which racked up just over one million sales during its five-year lifetime.^[59]
On September 3 the BBC reported that 1 million Wii consoles had been sold in the UK. The Wii had became the fastest selling console in the UK ever, reaching sales of 1 million consoles in 38 weeks.^[60]

References

1. Nintendo Co., Ltd. Corporate Management Policy Briefing
2. Nintendo Sets the Record Straight Mark Bozon
3. Nintendo to Sell Wii Console in November
4. Nintendo Wii Release Dates
5. Wii arriva in anticipo solo in Italia, con una "sorpresa"
6. One Million Launch Wiis for North America
7. Nintendo Sets the Record Straight Mark Bozon
8. Mario, Luigi, Zelda study their Korean Shim Jae-woo,Wohn Dong-hee
9. Nintendo (September 14, 2006) Nintendo's Incomparable Wii Console Launches Nov. 19; MSRP 0.00, ''nintendo.com''
10. CNW Group (September 17, 2006) Nintendo's Incomparable Wii Console Launches Nov. 19; MSRP 9.95, ''newswire.ca''
11. Wii pre-orders in Colombia
12. ZMART Wii
13. NintendoLife.com December 2, 2006[1], ''nintendolife.com''
14. Sanders, Kathleen (September 13, 2006) Japanese Wii Price, Release Date Revealed, ''ign.com''
15. Nintendo (September 15, 2006) Wii Australian details, ''planetgamecube.com''
16. Nintendo Wii release information announced! Nintendo Australia
17. Nintendo (4 November, 2006) [2], ''wii.com''
18. Weltbild - Wii Konsole inkl. Wii - Sports Weltbild.ch
19. Planet GameCube (September 15, 2006) Europe Gets Wii Last, ''planetgamecube.com''
20. Nintendo Wii - a nevető harmadik?
21. Hardware.no - Prisguide [3], ''hardware.no''
22. Hardware.no - Prisguide [4], ''hardware.no''
23. BT.is - Leikir BT
24. Nintendo Suomi - Wii:n suositushinnaksi 269,90 euroa! Nintendo Finland
25. Nintendo.com (November 4, 2006) Wii, ''wii.com''
26. Mario, Luigi, Zelda study their Korean Shim Jae-woo,Wohn Dong-hee
27. {{cite web | url=http://gonintendo.com/?p=17347 | title=Wii in Egypt
28. {{cite web | url=http://www.news24.com/News24/Technology/News/0,,2-13-1443_2177373,00.html | title=Wii in South Africa
29. The Twenty Wii Launch Games revealed
30. Nintendo president vows cheap games Chris Morris
31. Euro Wii Launch Games Finalised
32. nintendo.co.nz - News From Nintendo
nintendo.com.au - News From Nintendo
33. Japanese Launch Guide
34. Elebits Update
35. Ennichi no Tatsujin Update
36. Happy Feet drops to Wii, PS2, DS, GCN, GBA
37. Happy Feet: Wii
38. Japanese Launch Guide
39. Japanese Launch Guide
40. Japanese Launch Guide
41. Japanese Launch Guide
42. Japanese Launch Guide
43. Nintendo's America Summer Line-up. IGN. Retrieved on May 22 2007.
44. Wii Sells Through 600k Hilary Goldstein
45. Japanese Wii Sales Figures
46. Early Wii figures from Japan
47. Japanese Wii enjoys painless birth; stores across Japan sell out
48. 372,000 Wiis sold in Japan in 2 days
49. Wii sells 105,000 in record-breaking launch
50. European consumers snap up 325,000 Wii consoles in two days
51. Nintendo Wii breaks records in Australia
52. Nintendo Wii, The Fastest Selling Console in Singapore Yet? , ''GameAxis'', May 4, 2007.
53. Wii year in review
54. Wii outsells PS3 by almost 2:1 in the US
55. Wii outsells PS3 by four to one in Japan
56. Nintendo Profits Up 77 Pct. on Wii Sales, ''Associated Press'', April 26, 2007.
57. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=a1ksh.fxbQ.I
58. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6265368.stm
59. http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=81427
60. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6975788.stm