Can Mario ’save’ the Wii?
The bloom is off the rose over at Nintendo.
After several years of high interest and robust sales, the company’s Wii console is looking a little less appealing to consumers. Sales of the system over the first half of the business year ending Sept. 30 dropped by nearly half, according to Nintendo’s latest quarterly report, and the company has scaled down Wii sales predictions for the year by almost 25 percent.
The flagging economy has something to do with that, of course, as does the absence of a big title coming into Wii’s inventory for several months. But now economists are saying the recession probably is over, and there’s “New Super Mario Bros. Wii” coming out Nov. 15. So, things should be fine soon for Nintendo, right?
Well, maybe.
“New Super Mario Bros. Wii” is expected to be the biggest thing to come down the mushroom cap this fall, in particular because it not only brings back the two-dimensional side-scrolling navigation that goes all the way back to Super NES, but also includes multiplayer capability for up to four people — a first for the franchise.
This title is designed to wow longtime fans of Mario Bros. plus expand interest in group play that has turned Wii into a party favor, starting with “Wii Sports” and “Wii Play,” says Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.
Game Guy’s wondering however whether this latest battle to save Princess Peach will also save the Wii’s sales from sliding further. With the holidays coming and people needing something to do between turkey servings, the Wii probably will be the centerpiece of numerous family get-togethers anyway. But how many servings of Peach will players be willing to stomach?
What do you think? Does Mario have what it takes to give Nintendo a Merry-er Christmas? Or could Bowser turn out to be something of a grinch this year?
I’m excited about the game and I believe it could have a positive short-term effect. However, if they don’t start getting quality 3rd-party titles, then it’s doomed. I love my Wii, but it doesn’t get anywhere near the usage of my 360 or PS3.
I’m looking forward to this title - but I’m more excited about the new Lego Indiana Jones game - and the Harry Potter Lego title in 2010.
And I agree - more quality 3rd party titles.
It was only a matter of time before sales dropped off like they have. The Wii had two things going for it that have since backfired:
1) They enjoyed being the thing that was hard to get. Anytime someone says you can’t find something, it just makes the appeal of that item stronger. See Furbies, PT Cruisers, Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch Kids, iPhones, etc. Once the supply is met, it loses the luster of being hard to find and is thus less desireable.
2) Wii’s entire function is to be a motion capture device and is very much a gimmick. The great thing about a gimmick is that it is unique, which much like the first point, makes it desireable. That is until the consumer realizes their enjoyment is just that, nothing more than a gimmick.
The Wii is at the point where it is no longer the hot item to show off and it is old hat to anyone who really cares about the industry which puts it back on the same playing field as PS3 and XBOX360.
The other thing killing the Wii is they are soley dependent on first party games. They will say that third party games are just around the corner, but they aren’t coming. By differentiating themselves so much from the other two consoles, they shot themselves in the foot for the long haul. Rather than just altering the code for one system to the other like producers do for PS3 and XBOX360, most Wii games require a completely different production team for what is almost a completely separate game compared to the other two consoles. This typically results in a rush-job title frought with bugs and one-dimensional play and a game that significantly pales in comparison to the other two. This is because while the production costs for the other two console’s games can be split, the Wii version must be profitable on its own, which is rarely the case. Hence you have a lack of third party support and an emphasis on first party games with the same characters we have been playing for the last twenty years.
Basically, the thing that makes the Wii initially successful is going to kill it later in it’s life cycle and everyone should have seen this coming.
Nintendo might just enjoy holiday season because of Mario but after that, they should produce right away a new exciting game for the Wii to keep the fire burning. I also enjoy Wii especially during family gatherings but most of the time, I play MMOs like WoW or Aion.