14 DAY TRIAL // Yesterday, news about Gamestop being deliberately under-supplied on Wiis, were posted everywhere. Gamestop spokesman said: "I don't think [Wii supply] going to be an issue going forward, and-it's just my opinion-I think [Nintendo] intentionally dried up their supply because they made their numbers for the year," as Nintendo's fiscal year starts on April 1st. That was yesterday. Today, it's time for Nintendo to answer. They think all this is just Gamestop's way of asking for more Wiis, as there is still huge demand for the system.
NextGeneration posts a telephone interview of George Harrison, Nintendo's senior VP of marketing and corporate communications, who was quoted saying: "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." He also added that "GameStop's an important customer" and that "Every retailer would want to have more [Wiis]. I think [DeMatteo's comments] may have been GameStop's way of trying to request more."
So who do you think is right? Normally, Nintendo wants to sell as many systems as they can, right? Right. But so does Gamestop. So who's not telling the whole story here? My money would be on Gamestop. They're well known for their shenanigans so, I'd say there's no doubt whether or not Nintendo's senior VP is telling the truth here. However, earlier this year, retailers were instructed (by an unknown entity) to hold back Wii and DS units for when the right moment came, so I'm not betting all my money on Gamestop just yet.