Activision "Disappointed" With Wii U Launch Performance

Say what you like about Activision Blizzard, but you can't deny that it has ambition. Company CEO Bobby Kotick went on record recently to lament the launch performance of Nintendo's Wii U console. He hoped it would sell more than it has in its two-months on sale.

"We were somewhat disappointed with the launch of the Wii U," Kotick said to investors. "I think it's a challenging environment this year, and one of the things we are concerned about is what the install base of hardware will be like for six-to-eleven year-olds."

In particular, Activision is hoping that Wii U's success will mean great things for its insanely popular Skylanders franchise. Despite the console's performance, Kotick said that "We have a lot of confidence in Skylanders for the long-term. I think we're delivering another great product this year."

Activision was kind enough to release versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Skylanders Giants and... erm, 007 Legends for the Wii U's European launch. It seems that the company feels that its efforts have slightly gone to waste as an early supporter. Well, certainly it could be said that 007 Legends was a waste of time.

Nintendo revealed that it had sold 460,000 Wii U consoles in the US during December 2012, some 15,000 units less than the Wii in December 2006, which saw extraordinary sales at launch.