Wonderswanning to the USA and Europe

Following impressive sales of Wonderswan Color in Japan – around 1.5 million – Bandai has not ruled out the possibility of bringing the handheld to American and European territories. The company expects to post losses of $8.5 million at the end of this fiscal year, but expects to ship a further 1.8 million units in the upcoming year ending March 2002. Bandai believe if projected sales figures are met, it will bring them out of the red.

While Bandai’s current focus is on the Japanese market, the prospect of a global launch must be appealing to the company. However, Nintendo’s global dominance over the handheld market is now complete. Bandai scarcely have time to get a share of the market before Game Boy Advance is launched. Whilst a worldwide roll-out for the Wonderswan could prove extremely profitable for Bandai, challenging the might of Nintendo in the handheld market could be equally devastating to not only their financial well-being but to their reputation too. The release of Final Fantasy on the Wonderswan may have benefited Bandai in its home territory, but a much more persuasive campaign will be required if the platform is to make an impression elsewhere.