14 DAY TRIAL // Yes, it has happened before and it was even more of a scandal back in April than it is now. Fortunately this time, Nintendo has rushed in answering accusations that the company is deliberately holding back Wii supplies, and, even claiming that they're producing 1.8 million Wii units per month, so if anyone wants to do the math and check with every retailer's numbers on the globe...
"We strongly reject and resent the accusation that we are 'PR-ing' stock shortages," was the company's position when recently contacted by Max Console. "We are doing all we can to ensure that the unprecedented demand for Wii can be met as far as possible in the run up to Christmas."
As mentioned above, this isn't the first time Nintendo is being accused of deliberately holding back Wii supplies. In April this year, Next-Gen.biz posted a telephone interview of George Harrison, Nintendo's senior VP of marketing and corporate communications, in regards to GameStop's accusations of deliberate Wii shortages on behalf of Nintendo. Here's the man's statement below:
"No, that's not at all the case. We have worldwide territories that are all competing over the available production. The Japan and European markets are doing extremely well with the Wii. People in Japan at NCL [Nintendo Co. Ltd.] are making the best decisions that they can about which products get shipped to which market and when."
Harrison even emphasized that "GameStop's an important customer" adding that "Every retailer would want to have more [Wiis]. " He suggested back then that Gamestop's COO Dan DeMatteo was attempting to force Nintendo into shipping more Wiis. "I think [DeMatteo's comments] may have been GameStop's way of trying to request more," Harrison declared.
Whatever the case here, Sony and Microsoft only wish they had Nintendo's "problems" right now. Imagine how painful it is to not be able to fill shelves back up, once stock is depleted.