14 DAY TRIAL // With the NPD data for February now out, all the big gaming companies, focusing on creating gaming consoles and publishing titles for them, are scrambling to put a positive spin on the new results.
Taking a cold, hard look at the numbers reveals that Nintendo has the easiest job doing this, considering that fact that Wii Fit is the best sold game of the month, while the Nintendo Wii continues to sell in such numbers that it puts both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 to shame.
The Japanese console creator and publisher is focusing on the performance of Wii Play, the collection of mini games initially released in February 2007 that have sold more than 10 million units in the United States. To its credit, Nintendo recognizes that many players are only getting the game in order to obtain a second Wiimote, which is useful for multiplayer play on the Nintendo Wii, but the company says that there's more to the game than that.
Cammie Dunaway, who is the executive vice president of Sales & Marketing for Nintendo of America, says that "Wii Play mini-games are fun and they get people playing together. Even if you believe people are buying Wii Play solely for the controller, that indicates that there are now more than 10 million people who have an extra Wii Remote controller in their homes. When added to the 12.7 million Wii Remote controllers that have [been] sold separately, this reinforces the growing 'social gaming' trend we have been seeing where friends and family use their Wii games as a social hub – both in person and online.”
The firm points out that, in March, the Nintendo Wii is set to sell enough consoles to go over the 19 million mark in the United States, while the Nintendo DS is also nearing the goal of selling 29 million units on the same market. Five games in the top ten are for Nintendo devices.
What Nintendo isn't happy to talk about is the meager performances registered by third-party titles for the Nintendo Wii. Yes, Wii Fit and Wii Play are selling well, but if other publishers are not able to create some games that conquer the platform, then sales could be slump as gamers see no reason to get a new Nintendo Wii.