Nintendo Claims Responsibility for 99% of industry growth in 2008 [Archive]

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Howie6925

01-16-2009, 03:55 PM

Yesterday, sales-tracking firm NPD Group announced that the United States console market grew by 19% in 2008, resulting in a new record revenue of $21.33 billion.

Now, Nintendo has stepped into the picture, claiming that its software, hardware and accesories were "responsible for 99% of those additional retail dollars."

Of the year's ten best-selling games, five were published and developed by Nintendo. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Wii accounted for 55% of all home console sales during 2008, selling more than 10 million units and more than doubling its install base.

As for the Nintendo DS, the device made up a whopping 72% of all portable sales in 2008, selling 9.5 million and bringing its U.S. install base to a staggering 27.60 million.

http://www.shacknews.com/laryn.x?story=56796

I dont think so,99%.

*offtopic*The RE5 Collectors edition looks cool:
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/56797

neuropolitique

01-16-2009, 04:16 PM

I have no trouble believing it. How many people own a 360, psp, or PS3 that haven't previously owned a console? How many folks own a Wii or DS that hadn't previously owned a console?

May not be 99%, but it's damn close I'd bet.

geneshifter

01-16-2009, 04:24 PM

Yeah, you have to be careful with how it's worded but, yes, I believe that Nintendo is responsible for most of the % growth this year.

Buyatari

01-16-2009, 06:31 PM

Yeah, you have to be careful with how it's worded but, yes, I believe that Nintendo is responsible for most of the % growth this year.

I can appreciate Nintendo for thinking outside of the box and marketing a system that 40-60 yr old will play 2-4 times a year and put back in the closet but that is not really "growth of the market" that is called selling a fad. The retired population bought the wii as a $250 bowling game many of whichpull out of the closet for family parties 2 times a year. Ok great move and they have done well but don't tell me you have expanded the market. That remains to be seen.

I don't consider it growth unless these new users become active gamers. If these new gamers who never bought systems before play this system with regularity and then buy the next system and play that with regularity then yes you have expanded the market. That is a far stretch.

Bojay1997

01-16-2009, 07:47 PM

I can appreciate Nintendo for thinking outside of the box and marketing a system that 40-60 yr old will play 2-4 times a year and put back in the closet but that is not really "growth of the market" that is called selling a fad. The retired population bought the wii as a $250 bowling game many of whichpull out of the closet for family parties 2 times a year. Ok great move and they have done well but don't tell me you have expanded the market. That remains to be seen.

I don't consider it growth unless these new users become active gamers. If these new gamers who never bought systems before play this system with regularity and then buy the next system and play that with regularity then yes you have expanded the market. That is a far stretch.

Agreed. Simply getting a console into someone's house is only part of the battle. Unless that person is regularly buying games and accessories, it's not really sustainable growth, but a short term gain that only benefits Nintendo. The fact that five of the ten top selling games last year were first-party Nintendo is not a sign of a healthy market at all. If at least some of those titles had been third party games on the Wii, it might have been something to brag about, but as far as I'm concerned, this is bad for the industry and bad for us as gamers, especially in this economy.

tom

01-17-2009, 01:28 AM

Nintendo's claims are always 'greatly exaggerated', as the book 'Game Over' already mentioned way back.

badinsults

01-17-2009, 01:36 AM

FxMercenary

01-17-2009, 02:12 AM

I have a Wii, a PS3, a PSP and a 360...

I use the Wii to weigh myself twice a week... $325 scale! However I must admit, sometimes I do check the weather, but it is always wrong for some reason ( yes my zip code is correct )

Biggest waste of money I have ever spent, 99% of the games are for 5 year olds.

I want a game where there is a pair of breasts on the screen that you can shake with the Wiimote, if they did that, they would double their sales and entertain me for more that 30 seconds.

Wii-Pii, a wifi toilet seat where the objective is NOT to get it wet, my roomate could use that.

Gameguy

01-17-2009, 02:45 AM

I see a lot of games for the DS that aren't really games, they're just software. Stuff like learning languages, learning to cook, a personal trainer, etc. The DS is more like a PDA than a game console now. I don't bother to keep up with most new releases so I'm not sure of the exact names for those. The DS is fun though, it's the only current generation system I have.

Buyatari

01-19-2009, 11:38 PM

Still, if they are making money on every console sold, what do they care if all they sell is just the console. BTW, I have heard of many people buying the Wii for Wii Fit. My Mom talks about that all the time, even though she doesn't have a Wii herself. As a gamer, I'll stick with my Xbox 360.

I have no problems with the business practice.

Nintendo did the impossible and found a way to sell systems to people who don't play videogames. Just don't tell me that those people are now gamers or that these new customers will continue to buy software in any significant numbers. When you look at sales of 3rd party titles that are available on all 3 systems you can see clearly who sold more systems to gamers.

G-Boobie

01-19-2009, 11:47 PM

Nintendo did the impossible and found a way to sell systems to people who don't play videogames. Just don't tell me that those people are now gamers or that these new customers will continue to buy software in any significant numbers. When you look at sales of 3rd party titles that are available on all 3 systems you can see clearly who sold more systems to gamers.

A quick glance at the top selling games of 2007 and 2008 will show that Nintendo first party software sells more copies than anything not called Halo or Gears of War. Mario Kart Wii, Smash Bros, Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit, Wii Play, Animal Crossing, Twilight Princess, Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS, Pokemon Pearl and Diamond, New Super Mario Bros, Phantom Hourglass, Brain Training... The list of first party Nintendo software with two million copies sell-through is insane. It's probably not the 99% that Nintendo is claiming, but it's significant enough that the hyperbole still rings as fact.

It's not just folks buying the Wii to play with family twice a year(though obviously that's happening too). It's families and parents buying the console for their kids to play. It's the 'safe' console: Microsoft and Sony have aggressively positioned themselves as the 'edgy' and 'hardcore' consoles for the past two console generations: if you were a non-gaming parent buying a console for your kid, would you buy the console advertising Gears of War, Metal Gear Solid, Resistance, Left 4 Dead, and Halo 3, or do you buy the one with Mario?

I think that's a good thing in the long run. Those kids will grow up gamers, and they'll eventually want something more 'edgy' and 'hardcore', just like we did.

Matt-El

01-20-2009, 12:01 AM

Biggest game for non-gamers outside of Wii Sports and Fit? CARNIVAL GAMES. God, people eat that shit up. It's unbelievable how quickly I see that go.

Buyatari

01-20-2009, 12:26 AM

A quick glance at the top selling games of 2007 and 2008 will show that Nintendo first party software sells more copies than anything not called Halo or Gears of War. Mario Kart Wii, Smash Bros, Mario Galaxy, Wii Fit, Wii Play, Animal Crossing, Twilight Princess, Nintendogs, Mario Kart DS, Pokemon Pearl and Diamond, New Super Mario Bros, Phantom Hourglass, Brain Training... The list of first party Nintendo software with two million copies sell-through is insane. It's probably not the 99% that Nintendo is claiming, but it's significant enough that the hyperbole still rings as fact.

It's not just folks buying the Wii to play with family twice a year(though obviously that's happening too). It's families and parents buying the console for their kids to play. It's the 'safe' console: Microsoft and Sony have aggressively positioned themselves as the 'edgy' and 'hardcore' consoles for the past two console generations: if you were a non-gaming parent buying a console for your kid, would you buy the console advertising Gears of War, Metal Gear Solid, Resistance, Left 4 Dead, and Halo 3, or do you buy the one with Mario?

I think that's a good thing in the long run. Those kids will grow up gamers, and they'll eventually want something more 'edgy' and 'hardcore', just like we did.

Wii fit and Wii play and anything else that was sold with hardware doesn't count. As for the others yes Nintendo does well with a small select group of 1st party titles. Same thing happened with the Gamecube and the N64 yet they sold less system than the PS2.

I guess it is a good thing. So long as the other 2 continue to make hardware that uses traditional controllers. 3 Wii style systems on the market and I'd give up games till it was over.

G-Boobie

01-20-2009, 12:49 AM

Wii fit and Wii play and anything else that was sold with hardware doesn't count. As for the others yes Nintendo does well with a small select group of 1st party titles. Same thing happened with the Gamecube and the N64 yet they sold less system than the PS2.

I guess it is a good thing. So long as the other 2 continue to make hardware that uses traditional controllers. 3 Wii style systems on the market and I'd give up games till it was over.

The way I look at the situation is thusly: Every triple A game coming out this year is geared towards hardcore gamers. Resident Evil 5(and yes, Buyatari: that collectors' edition is fantastic!), Street Fighter IV, Killzone 2, Bionic Commando, Halo 3 ODST, Dragon Age, F.E.A.R. 2, God of War III(hopefully), Heavy Rain, Bioshock 2, Blazblue, Team Ico's new game, Halo Wars, Star Ocean 4, Muramasa, Mad World, InFamous, Prototype, Ghostbusters(get hype!), Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Rage... Not a single 'casual' title on the list, and only two Wii games. I'm sure Nintendo will have a couple releases this year, but the industry obviously realizes on what side their bread is buttered: the Hardcore side. Sony seems to have given up on the sixaxis, and Microsoft has vigorously denied that they have a motion controller in the works: even if they did, it would be a peripheral. Nintendo can keep the wagglechucks.

I figure as long as the Wii doesn't seriously impact my gaming experience on the two other consoles, I'm perfectly fine with the hype the silly thing generates. Nintendo can have 99% of the market or whatever(and Nintendo doesn't need anything other than their first party lineup:they sold more games last year than anyone else by a ridiculous number): if that one percent is comprised of hardcore games I enjoy that make the devs and publishers money, it doesn't matter to me.

p_b

01-20-2009, 02:27 AM

Wii fit and Wii play and anything else that was sold with hardware doesn't count.

I see where you're coming from with Wii Play, however I would count WiiFit, as it really goes together with the balance board and is not just some add-on stuff as WiiPlay is...

SegaAges

01-20-2009, 08:15 AM

Whatever.

My roommate has a Wii and played it the night he got it and has not touched it since. I own more games for a wii than him, and I dont have a wii.

Press_Start

01-20-2009, 09:33 AM

99% of the games are for 5 year olds.

No More Heroes
Red Steel
Twilight Princess
Trauma Center: New Blood
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Blast Works
Metroid Prime 3
Resident evil 4
Umbrella Chronicles
House of the Dead 2&3
Fire Emblem
Dragon Quest: Swords

I'm sure more can be contributed but you get the jist. That statement is the #1 misconception for Wii games out there. Those that make such comments usually don't have a Wii or go to Gamestop to glance at titles and "confirm" their suspicions. Seriously, you can only make such a statement when you played ALL the games for the Wii. But can understand as you really got to "shuffle" though quite a bit to find the good ones.

Biggest game for non-gamers outside of Wii Sports and Fit? CARNIVAL GAMES. God, people eat that shit up. It's unbelievable how quickly I see that go.

One word: exposure.

Sifting through CN, Disney and Nick channels, the most likely video game commercials you'll see are for either Pokemon and Carnival Games. It is the determining factor for successful sales results. Look at FF7, Kingdom Hearts, and Resident Evil 2, I remember seeing commercial for them on TV right around their release dates. SMB3 is the biggest example (The Wizard, the cartoon series, etc.). They advertised the hell out of it and now its one of the best selling video games EVER. Carnival games just shows that success by degrees is only separated by getting the word out. Surprised how companies haven't followed suit, if it worked for a supposedly ~300K game that sold over 2 million, then why not some of their middle-to-heavy hitters?

Rob2600

01-20-2009, 11:55 AM

Wii fit and Wii play and anything else that was sold with hardware doesn't count.

When a $90 game (Wii Fit) sells 10 million copies, I think that counts.

GarrettCRW

01-20-2009, 12:34 PM

Here's the DP Wii Formula:

Nintendo Makes huge claims and/or announces record of huge success.

Website posts news story re: Nintendo's newest press release.

DP member posts link to website.

The result:

OMGWTFBBQ!!!!!!! Wiis ares t3h ruinz of t3h industries! OH NOES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

G-Boobie

01-20-2009, 02:08 PM

Didn't read the whole thread, did you Garnett?

kaedesdisciple

01-20-2009, 03:45 PM

Garrett's got a point, though. This thread is retreading a lot of the same arguments that have been made many times over. This includes:

-The unprecedented sales numbers that the Wii generates (including Wii Fit)
-The number of people not considered 'hardcore' gamers buying the Wii (including seniors)
-The sales of 1st party vs. 3rd party titles on the Wii
-The amount of 'family' or 'kiddie' games vs. 'hardcore' games on the Wii
-The accounts of people who bought the systems themselves or have friends who bought it, played it a few times and haven't touched it since

I fail to see what this thread has done differently than many of the other love/hate discussions on the Internet stemming from the seemingly unending record sales of the Wii.

Nature Boy

01-20-2009, 04:32 PM

Nintendo's claims are always 'greatly exaggerated'...

Every publisher greatly exaggerates their position. As a business you don't admit "yeah, we really blew that one!" you say something like "we're building towards a better future"

Cool list.

Great points about the differences in building long term versus fad-ifying things!

Bojay1997

01-20-2009, 05:42 PM

No More Heroes
Red Steel
Twilight Princess
Trauma Center: New Blood
Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Blast Works
Metroid Prime 3
Resident evil 4
Umbrella Chronicles
House of the Dead 2&3
Fire Emblem
Dragon Quest: Swords

I'm sure more can be contributed but you get the jist. That statement is the #1 misconception for Wii games out there. Those that make such comments usually don't have a Wii or go to Gamestop to glance at titles and "confirm" their suspicions. Seriously, you can only make such a statement when you played ALL the games for the Wii. But can understand as you really got to "shuffle" though quite a bit to find the good ones.

I understand your point, but instead of saying the vast majority of Wii titles are aimed at 5 year olds, I would say they are aimed at short experiences or more basic game design. For example, games like Red Steel, Blast Works, HOTD, Umbrella Chronicles, Trauma Center 1&2, etc.. may not be designed for a 5 year old, but they also aren't designed to provide 30-40 hours of play time or even 10-15 hours of play time. They are games that you pop in when you buy them, play for a few hours and then maybe play a few more times before you either stick them on your shelf or trade them for something else. I have about 60% of the total Wii library now and 100% of the games that aren't pure shovelware. While there are some great games in there, even the great games don't necessarily have the same play time or longevity as games I own on other consoles. I know it's intentional because the controller is designed to do very specific things and developers build around the controller and don't usually adapt the controller to the game. It's not exactly a criticism, but it would be nice to see more epic RPGs, shooters, hack and slashers, RTS games, etc... but again, the controller makes it unappealing for those genres for the most part.

Joe West

01-20-2009, 06:32 PM

the reason they topped the charts, they sold a zillion wii units to hospitals, nursing homes, and other places like that.....for theraby.......

Buyatari

01-20-2009, 06:50 PM