Nintendo says their release calendar caused Wii sales to slow

Nintendo Americas Denise Kaigler thinks that the lack of big titles lately has caused Wii sales to slow down, but cant explain why core games are not selling

In a new interview, Nintendo America’s Denise Kaigler was asked why they think Wii sales are on the decline from their lofty height of last year. The main reason is the lack of big games, says Kaigler.

 “Last year we had three powerful titles, with Super Smash Bros. Brawl in March, Mario Kart in April and Wii Fit in May. I mean, those are blockbuster titles. So we had a strong title launch in the first half of 2008, and we have a strong title launch in the second half of 2009”. The last half of 2008 and the first half of this year have been admittedly poor from Nintendo’s point of view, something we’re sure you’ve all noticed.

Luckily Nintendo haven’t had to pull the Wii sled themselves, as third parties have been pulling their weight. Unfortunately, core games still have had a rough trot, they’ve been good games, but selling poorly and Kaigler gives her thoughts. “A lot of Nintendo titles don’t follow that traditional sales curve where they launch big and then that’s it. Our titles have a long tail. They build in popularity, and this could be the case with MadWorld and The Conduit. I’ve played both. I’m not a core gamer, and I found that they were challenging and fun. We’re hopeful that the titles will catch on and that consumers who already have those games will spread the word and others will follow suit there. They’re deep experiences, and they’re very challenging titles and we certainly like them. But it’s our hope that the games will pick up in popularity and they’ll continue to sell.”

We hope too Denise. Question time: Did Nintendo and third parties miss the core gamer boat and it’s too late? Or is their time to turn things around?

Source: Wired