Wii U fails to beat Wii sales in December
Nintendo’s next-generation console Wii U has surely gotten off to a very good start in terms of sales in the North American region, but it failed to surpass the sales record of its predecessor Wii during the month of December.
Unlike the previous Nintendo console that sold 470,000 during the holiday season when it first came out in 2006, Wii U ended month at 460,000 sales.
Finishing 15,000 units behind Wii could hardly be considered a disappointment by the Japan-based company as it was competing in the market for consumer interest against the likes of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, both of which have a huge install-base and huge variety of games available in the market.
Both the Sony and Microsoft consoles are said to be at the tail-end of their extended life-cycle, something that is making them suffer and providing Nintendo with an opportunity to not only get its dual-screen gaming console noticed, but also to get it popular by introducing games characterised by an innovative gameplay and design.
Released in the US on November 18, 2012, the Wii U has already gone on to earn $300 million, which is $30 million more than what its predecessor managed to earn at this point in its life.
The sales and marketing vice president at Nintendo Scott Moffitt pointed out that even though the Wii had managed to get excellent sales figures, its successor had surpassed it in terms of revenue generation, which is without any doubt one of the most important categories for a company.
. "While the Wii launch established new benchmarks in the United States, Wii U has surpassed its predecessor in perhaps the most important category: revenue generation," said Moffitt.
Released in two models, a 32GB $350 deluxe model and an 8GB $300 basic version, Nintendo’s first-ever HD console indeed remained quite popular among the consumers during the holiday season.
Games such as Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U and ZombiU made excellent sales and helped attract consumers towards the console.
Nintendo, however, is yet to bring one of its most prolific franchises to its new console, Zelda. A new 3D Zelda has already been announced by the company.
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