Nintendo sold only 160,000 Wii U consoles worldwide last quarter
Nintendo’s latest quarterly earnings report is out and its not pretty for the Wii U. In the period between April and June 2013 Nintendo sold only 160,000 Wii U units worldwide. These meagre sales put the grand total at 3.6 million units sold lifetime to date.
Out of the 160,000 Wii U units sold 90,000 of them were sold in Japan, 60,000 of them in the US and the rest, including Australia and all of Europe 10,000. These numbers are even worse when you consider that the Wii outside the system in the same period.
That’s not less than a complete disaster for Nintendo. The silver lining here is that Nintendo is likely not manufacturing the Wii U at the moment and clearing stock of all of those old un-updated Wii U Units.
Well then, can Nintendo turn it around?
That is just horrendous.
I think the Wii U needs to bomb in order for Nintendo to be pulled out of that bubble they’re living in.
I knew it was bad but I didn’t think it was that bad. They need to get their software out quick and price drop this thing at the same time.
I can defend the platform and Nintendo all I like but this is just shameful.
I know, I have been thinking the same thing…
So much I want to say here… random notes below.
Nintendo is seriously untapped potential mixed with terrible execution, hidden behind philosophical lies.
– Well over 15 Years of Pokemon and not a single proper 3D console RPG release which will almost single-handily ensure ridiculous sales of the console. Or even a Pokemon Snap sequel for the Wii U & 3DS.
– Zero unique FPS games that are worth raving about. (Since the N64 at least). You need a trademark FPS on your console and you need to seriously get behind it! Sorry The Conduit not nearly good enough. That and possibly a realistic driving simulator, like Forza or Gran Turismo will help you show you can compete on every level and then some.
– Getting Retro to work on a Donkey Kong Country sequel instead of an Original FPS game with such an amazing team. Look at the games they were planning pre-Metroid Prime, some awesome looking stuff like Raven Blade!
– Not embracing HD sooner, not expanding development teams for the far more resource intensive HD development. Nintendo you only make games and consoles, expand your damn development teams so you don’t have to pool resources between 3DS and WiiU back and forth instead of having dedicated developers experienced with WiiU and 3DS. You know what? Llet’s solve the problem of increased development time by porting older games to the newer console? That way we can waste more time of the limited development teams we have and sell those games predominately to the same fans that purchased them previously? Genius right there!
I mean has anyone else noticed that they made a statement about having trouble getting multiple character fighters on the 3DS version of Smash bros and coincidently, all released shots so far of Captain Olimar are, surprise surprise for the WiiU version. They will either make it work for the 3DS or have exclusive fighters and stages, not just stages for the different versions. Or the fact that Pikmin 3 had to be made for WiiU which is why you waited so long to make it, even though you tested it on the 3DS, and even though you stated the preferred extra use for the gamepad is the map, (wow a map? Definitely a must have there) and even though the best way to control it is with the original Wii Remote / Nunchuck combo. These are the philosophical lies I am talking about. Nice, waste years developing this when a logical western developer would have released 3 games, all superbly polished in the same time frame. I mean seriously, how long will it take to create a new Pokemon Snap game on Rails? I am sure most of the 3D character models already exist!
Nintendo talks about games selling consoles, how is that supposed to happen when your console will not be powerful enough to run 90% of the games that will be created for the next generation?
– Instead we get a humble Japanese guy bowing every two minutes and talking about sequels and sequels to games and the Nintendo philosophy via Nintendo Directs.
Seriously Nintendo, firstly make your console graphically capable and on par with the competitors so developers have the option of cheaper ports to your console, even if they will sell less, games like Need for Speed, Call of Duty, GTA and FIFA will sell enough to be individually profitable for the developer to port them over and are definite must haves for lots of gamers!
Nintendo don’t tell me your gamepad is this miraculous device and not design a single game that really shows off why I must have it! (ZombiU is easily the most gamepad focused game, an underrated game too, definitely worth playing even though there are some blurry textures). Don’t be afraid to have a more expensive console, I mean these cheap and casual games really sell what, 1-5 games per generation? That, while many gamers are happy to buy 10+ games a year. Console prices drop with technology, your Nintendo fans will buy it regardless, the rest need hype to sell it. The iPhone is not cheap, but they SELL, even if arguable they are technologically behind the competition. You can have a unique controller or whatever else you think will create another Wii success, but be sure to allow the VAST MAJORITY of developers to port their games to your console, not exclude them and try and force them to adopt the same philosophy. You need to compete on every level first-and then have your unique approach via your newfangled must have peripheral. Your games on the other hand already do stand above and beyond the competition.
I have been a dedicated Nintendo fan since the NES but this is ridiculous.
You need a western minded CEO for starters, build hype, make games and make sure others can make games on your console too.
Looking back you may have sold 100 Million Wiis, with the 360 & PS3 trailing, but I am betting the number of games purchased per console, and even far more disproportionately, the time spent actually playing those games is significantly greater on the other consoles. Congratulations on your success of selling 100Million consoles to people who don’t buy many games or play many hours in total on the console, a true accomplishment!
What will happen this generation is Mario Kart will arrive, Smash Bros and whatever else, sales will rise, but in the end it will be a distant third in console sales as everyone, even those casual only people pick up a different console.
That and their focus on indie games, (which is awesome by the way), will allow it to be a nice side-toy to the big boys’ consoles.
The problem with predominately selling games to kids Nintendo is that kids are not the ones who make the money.
Who am I? I am the guy who has spent well over $5,000 on Nintendo stuff every year for the past 15 years, owns every Nintendo console, almost every Nintendo console game (minus the handheld line), a complete Boxed set of Every N64 game, including a game that most people don’t know exists.
I will still get Super Mario 3D World and Smash Bros and my heart will be there, but I feel like myself, along with many others have been waiting for you to wake up since the first announcement of the super under powerful Wii console.
Make your great games, I will buy them. Please just at least ALLOW others to make the same games on your damn console. I am happy to have a gamepad and seriously spend more time just browsing the web on it than on the PC, just don’t include the gamepad at the cost of a far more powerful console, you need to have an on par system + “The Nintendo Difference” in order to be a true runaway success.
0 fps games for the console??? Are you forgetting zombiu which was amazing ??
Can’t say I’m surprised. Weak h/w, poor branding and NO GAMES in 12 months.
No one to blame but themselves. 10K units for the ENTIRE PAL region says it all. Retails in Australia will be backing out a steady pace.
People were joking about the Wii U doing GameCube numbers. That is nothing short of a pipe dream now.
>Zombiu which was amazing
Please, it was a good game and I am glad I bought it, but it’s far, far from amazing.
No FPS games worth raving about since the N64? What about Geist for the GameCube? There’s a game I wouldn’t mind seeing a remake of or a sequel to.
I want your collection. Oh and what’s the mystery n64 game u are referring to…? Intrigued!!!
There’s a great deal of irony in all of this. Remember how Iwata said that they were re-releasing Wind Waker on the Wii U to reach a broader audience than they reached in the Gamecube times? With these numbers the Wii U might even behind the Gamecube. At least the Gamecube was making profit.
It can be turned around, it needs games that’ll get people to buy the system. Nintendo Land hasn’t done its job in this regard. Thing is, they aren’t going to get Western third party support to do this, they have to do it themselves. And they’re capable, but they need to get back to making great games, not merely good ones.
I think I’ll wait out this gen (things will change of course), and see what the next Nintendo console has for me, a new generation is a new slate and last time Nintendo had to make something happen, we ended up with the Wii. 3DS and PC until then.
Probably 007 Goldeneye
I wouldn’t worry about it.
Once the new Super Smash hits, the console will sell like hot cakes. By then time SS comes out, we will be getting trailors for the new Zelda.
Smash sales alone sell 5+ million copies of the game, so sales are to jumped quarter 2 of 2014.
Why would anyone have bought a Wii U in the last three months; there have been virtually no games. The real question is, what will the next three months be like.
I want to defend Nintendo but Ho-Lee-Fuk that is awful.
Nintendo, you can’t release systems with no marketing and no games, you did it with the 3DS and some magic happened but I don’t know how many more times you can do that.
wii u need more game fast that why no one is really buying the wii u because the wii u only have 20 games and PS3 and xbox 360 has over 500 game. you need to started making more horror game etc also people want to see GTA V and saints row 4 on the wii u. is PS3 and Xbox has the same game you need to make that game on the wii u too.