While it comes as no surprise that Nintendo has sold out of Wiis over the European launch weekend just gone, it does come as quite a surprise that they managed to shift 325,000 units in two days. Well, that's what they are telling us at least. We'll find out more about where these figures came from in due course, but it's still some kind of ‘fastest selling home console in history’ record, no doubt.
Nintendo informs SPOnG that daily shipments are now arriving across Europe to replenish stock, although eBay scalpers are still managing to claim healthy profits, with one of SPOnG’s colleagues having just sold his Wii on ‘the bay’ for £500.
Our contact, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us, “I’d love to play Zelda and a few other launch titles, of course. But I’ll do that in the new year. Right now, I’ve just had a nice little Christmas bonus.”
SPOnG has conducted our own surveys with partners and wives and it seems to be the case that formerly uninterested non-gamers do take to Wii like, well, like Nintendo has been telling us they would for the last year.
Commenting on the tremendous launch weekend Wii sales, Laurent Fischer, Marketing Director for Nintendo Europe said, “For those who were unable to buy Wii during the launch weekend, rest assured more stock is already on its way and we are doing everything possible to ensure that a steady supply of Wii units is shipped to stores across Europe throughout December and into 2007.”
Tim Ellis, Head of Games, HMV UK (last seen looking slightly overawed and bewildered at the midnight launch last week) said, "The demand for Wii has been truly amazing, and the official launch at our Oxford Street store was one of the biggest events we've ever staged there. HMV has received a huge amount of customer pre-orders - beyond anything we've ever seen before, including from family shoppers as well as dedicated Nintendo gamers. This suggests that while Wii is obviously one of the must-have items this Christmas, it also has the potential to appeal to a huge mainstream audience over the longer-term."
Nintendo is also very keen to stress to SPOnG that it’s not "all about the Wii", with DS also managing to shift a record-breaking 515,000 units across Europe last week - the highest weeks sales since the console’s launch and the most any console across all formats has ever sold in a week!
It’s official. Nintendo ‘pwns’ Christmas 2006.
Nintendo informs SPOnG that daily shipments are now arriving across Europe to replenish stock, although eBay scalpers are still managing to claim healthy profits, with one of SPOnG’s colleagues having just sold his Wii on ‘the bay’ for £500.
Our contact, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us, “I’d love to play Zelda and a few other launch titles, of course. But I’ll do that in the new year. Right now, I’ve just had a nice little Christmas bonus.”
SPOnG has conducted our own surveys with partners and wives and it seems to be the case that formerly uninterested non-gamers do take to Wii like, well, like Nintendo has been telling us they would for the last year.
Commenting on the tremendous launch weekend Wii sales, Laurent Fischer, Marketing Director for Nintendo Europe said, “For those who were unable to buy Wii during the launch weekend, rest assured more stock is already on its way and we are doing everything possible to ensure that a steady supply of Wii units is shipped to stores across Europe throughout December and into 2007.”
Tim Ellis, Head of Games, HMV UK (last seen looking slightly overawed and bewildered at the midnight launch last week) said, "The demand for Wii has been truly amazing, and the official launch at our Oxford Street store was one of the biggest events we've ever staged there. HMV has received a huge amount of customer pre-orders - beyond anything we've ever seen before, including from family shoppers as well as dedicated Nintendo gamers. This suggests that while Wii is obviously one of the must-have items this Christmas, it also has the potential to appeal to a huge mainstream audience over the longer-term."
Nintendo is also very keen to stress to SPOnG that it’s not "all about the Wii", with DS also managing to shift a record-breaking 515,000 units across Europe last week - the highest weeks sales since the console’s launch and the most any console across all formats has ever sold in a week!
It’s official. Nintendo ‘pwns’ Christmas 2006.
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Comments
RiseFromYourGrave 13 Dec 2006 15:09
1/2
yeah, i think the DS is the real must have console atm, its got more grade-A games than the 360, Wii and PS3 put together, and lots on the horizon. im not getting a wii for chistmas :(, ill have to wait till jan or feb. but ill treat myself to a DS killer app or two over the holidays, via the price cutting medium of ebay
OptimusP 13 Dec 2006 19:56
2/2
Ken Kuturragi has a nice new jobprospect though. he can be hired by Nintendo to shovel all that cash into their bankvault because dang! they need a lot shovelling this year.