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Kimishima: Internal sales representative projected Wii U to sell 100 million Units
- Thread starter Poetic.Injustice
- Start date
Imagine being in the gaming press right now and having to interview anyone from Nintendo, maintaining a friendly demeanour about Wii U or NX, knowing full well that really you should be taking the piss out of them and calling them out on their bullshit failure and antiquated approach to gaming.
it's a shame there's no real journalism in gaming press.
it's a shame there's no real journalism in gaming press.
Obscuritas
Member
Compare this
to this
The writing was on the wall since the beginning.
to this
The writing was on the wall since the beginning.
Bioshocker
Member
I have to agree. The "interviews" done with Reggie are embarrasing. The only one pressuring him a little was Geoff Keighley(at E3 in 2013). The gaming press is full of fans, not journalists (although this problem is not exclusive for this industry).
Telephone Man
Member
As much as I love the gamepad, the Wii U has no business having 'Wii' in its name. It's not a Wii console without the Wiimote (and Nunchuk) being the absolute main focus.
Like, what were they thinking?
Like, what were they thinking?
DonMigs85
Member
Neff
Member
I don't think shrinking is the correct word. I think what we're mostly seeing with Wii U is an audience who will buy Nintendo hardware no matter what, and no matter how bare their release schedules, because the software on offer is just worth it. The poor sales are symptomatic of a failure to entice a significant number of buyers outside that collective. And in all likeliness, it's doable again in a worst case scenario. I think NX will fare much better, though.
it sounds nuts, but the consensus in 2010 and 2011 when they were probably making these sales estimates was a different world than 2012 and 2013. the bottom fell out big time when nintendo stopped supporting the wii's new market in 2010 and the casual 360 crowd jumped onto the ps4 in 2013.
it was a popular sentiment here that nintendo would or could top the market, and not that they'd wind up in third place on the console side. i was pessimistic from the start, and even my guess was far higher than what happened in reality: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=489769
it was a popular sentiment here that nintendo would or could top the market, and not that they'd wind up in third place on the console side. i was pessimistic from the start, and even my guess was far higher than what happened in reality: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=489769
SmokedMeat
Gamer™
I think Wii's success went right to their heads, and they felt that no matter what they built, people would buy it.
CosmicQueso
Member
Looks like his attempt to deflect blame for the Wii U's failures onto the heads of the forecasters has worked perfectly.
This. It kind of proves even GAF often doesn't know what'll happen and way too often looks at the current situation and the (recent) past instead of what is possible in the future.
I'm sure somewhere in 2008 there was a thread saying mobile games would never top the popularity of snake.
Bingo
KnightimeX_Legacy
Banned
I still think calling it Wii U was a huge mistake.
Wii 2 however might have had a completely different reaction.
Wii 2 however might have had a completely different reaction.
And released 18-24 months earlier.
Including zelda and wii sports resort as launch titles.
They are making the same mistake at the moment with the big gap in software releases in between consoles. That was one of the strongpoints of Sony: playstation 3 had solid releases 'till after PS4 was launched
Nintendo ignored obvious warning signs in Wii U's first year, and told themselves that it's first year stumbles were a positive omen. They actually increased their pie-in-the-sky projections for Wii U's second year, saying that unsold units in year one meant they had more supply available to make an impact in year two. And then it cratered, hard.
Kimishima says that "a person said" they could do 100 million, but it's naive to assume that this attitude was exclusive to just one individual. Unless that individual was Iwata.
;_;
Bioshocker
Member
People need to stop blaming the Wii U's failure on its name. It was about the console itself (not least the Gamepad), not the name.
Bitch Pudding
Member
If this "one person" made this projection which convinced the entire board to start production based on this, then this person is - or was - definitly within the highest echelons of Nintendo, not a mere analyst.
I for one think that far more members of the board (than just this "one person") were totally convinced they came up with the next big thing here, given that the Tablet (iPad) idea became a big thing right in time when they developed WiiU. They just thought that their gimmick pad would be ecaxtly the thing everyone would want now that the iPad had so much success. Which, apparently, it wasn't.
CosmicQueso
Member
Exactly.
The idea that some believe there was a Rasputin like person leading all of Nintendo down the 100m path no one else wanted to go down is one of the more hilarious things I've read around here.
Exactly, but the branding-marketing was atrocious, i still believe that with a different name-design, the console could do much better.
s_mirage
Member
The name did help to create market confusion at launch, especially among casuals, as to what the Wii U actually was: add on or new system? This was compounded by poor marketing. Admittedly its fate may not have been too different in the long run, but clearer branding of what the system actually was may have helped avoid the decidedly muted launch (and by muted I'm talking about the complete absence of hype outside of the Nintendo faithful, not the strong sales that lasted all of six weeks).
Dr. Feel Good
Banned
Damn how quickly GAF forgets. This entire forum was convinced the Wii U would be sold out at launch. Most people though Nintendo and Mocrosoft would dominate the generation (before the whole MS mess pre launch).
blazeuk
Member
They needed a new brand and they were too late on the whole tablet thing, it wasn't anything new like the Wii when it was released so it didn't appeal to the mass market who already all had iPad's by then - someone predicting 100m sales was clearly not looking closely at the market at that time, it failed a little harder than most expected but it was never going to get near the heights of the original Wii.
I like the Wii U and it's a shame how it turned out but the tablet was a mistake and has mostly hindered game development (ignoring the gpu power situation), 2 screens worked well for a handheld but just causes confusion on a home console, no idea how it got through development without someone seeing that it didn't feel natural to constantly switch your eyes between a TV and a tablet while still needing to pay attention to both.
I like the Wii U and it's a shame how it turned out but the tablet was a mistake and has mostly hindered game development (ignoring the gpu power situation), 2 screens worked well for a handheld but just causes confusion on a home console, no idea how it got through development without someone seeing that it didn't feel natural to constantly switch your eyes between a TV and a tablet while still needing to pay attention to both.
Zombie James
Banned
Someone was being a tad optimistic. With the casual audience well into abandoning the Wii, there was no way Nintendo was going to have the same level of success.
It's this line of thinking that sinks so so so so many products. If Nintendo are committed to gaining back a huge audience of gamers and non-gamers, then they should employ a different line of thinking with the NX.
Dr. Feel Good said:
A lot of people did accurately predict the Wii U would do well at launch. They also predicted that due to the horrible advertising and messaging, the console would perform poorly after launch. They were right!
Zombie James
Banned
I guess that's what happens when you reveal a new system but all you talk about is the controller.
I thought for sure that Wii U would do at least SNES numbers because games like NSMB Wii and Mario Kart Wii sold 25 million+ units each and with these games it wasn't the case of people playing it for 5 minutes, then putting it down after the novelty factor wore of which was maybe what happened to some of the more casual titles like Brain Age and Wii Fit. The fun factor was unmatched, especially playing multiplayer. Everybody that came across those titles had an absolute blast, whether they were beginners or experienced gamers.
Of course then I wasn't paying attention to mobile/social gaming and the f2p model, I had no idea it could change the perception of video game prices to that extent. I was convinced that the kids who grew up playing some of the Wii classics would ask for a Wii U once they were exposed to footage of the HD sequels.
I guess with the success of games like Minecraft and Undertale amongst kids, Nintendo's oldschool, mechanics-driven and mascot games have lost their appeal?
Of course then I wasn't paying attention to mobile/social gaming and the f2p model, I had no idea it could change the perception of video game prices to that extent. I was convinced that the kids who grew up playing some of the Wii classics would ask for a Wii U once they were exposed to footage of the HD sequels.
I guess with the success of games like Minecraft and Undertale amongst kids, Nintendo's oldschool, mechanics-driven and mascot games have lost their appeal?
Honestly it's everything. The console got amazing titles in spite of the "features" not because of them. It's been said a lot of times but it needs to be repeated again: Wii U is a solution to problem that never existed. No wonder the market rejected it so fiercely.
Wait a min...there were some decent Wii exclusives that were made by 2nd, 3rd parties. Some multi plat games were on Wii also. They just had a Wii twist to it sometimes. They didnt carry the Wii or the Wii U alone from day one....its just that in the end 3rd party, multi plat games just didnt sell well on their systems.
As far as the industry backing the HD twins....they shoud have. Thats like after the iPhone came out OEMs, the industry dont adopt apps stores or capacitive screens or bigger UI's. Imagine if BB and MS had stayed with the tiny, desktop on a phone UI and resistive screens...their sales would be even worse than they are now. When tech advances and companies try to stay on the forefront if it, the industry should back that. Sony and MS went the social route last gen and even more so this gen. Did the Wii have any social features? Asking a legitimate question..
As much of a flash in the pan 3D turned out to be for the living room, the Wii couldnt even play 3D games....IIRC. And to this day no Nintendo system can play back CD, DVD...nevermind Blu Ray....
I agree overall with what you're saying...but it amazing the PS3, 360 even got close to 100 million considering how much of a monster sales wise the Wii was.
Personally, I blame the Wii U's failure mainly on the Gamepad and, to a lesser extend, the "U" surname. If Nintendo had followed this train of thought, the follow up to the Wii should had been "Wii 2" with an improved Wiimote + Nunchaku. The "2" makes it clear it's a successor and the improved Wiimote should had been the follow up to what the Wiimote brought, while fixing it's flaws (button placement). I don't think it would had the Wii numbers, but I'm hell sure it would fared far better than the Wii U.
Despite having the "Wii" name in it, the Wii U was not a successor to the Wii at all. The GamePad actually reverted everything the Wiimote accomplished by returning to the traditional controller scheme, while also inflating the price of the console by being an expensive piece of tech thanks to the second screen. The cost brought by the GamePad did lots of damage to the value of the console, since the console would be cheaper or have more power without it.
The Wiimote's main strength was being a cheap, versatile controller that you could use in more than just one way. It was flawed, sure, but it covered the basics that a controller should have while also bringing something new to the table (Motion sensoring and IR aiming).
Despite having the "Wii" name in it, the Wii U was not a successor to the Wii at all. The GamePad actually reverted everything the Wiimote accomplished by returning to the traditional controller scheme, while also inflating the price of the console by being an expensive piece of tech thanks to the second screen. The cost brought by the GamePad did lots of damage to the value of the console, since the console would be cheaper or have more power without it.
The Wiimote's main strength was being a cheap, versatile controller that you could use in more than just one way. It was flawed, sure, but it covered the basics that a controller should have while also bringing something new to the table (Motion sensoring and IR aiming).
superNESjoe
Member
If they had a more clear successor name (like Wii 2 or an entirely new name) and launched with Mario Kart and (especially) Mario Maker, I think the early momentum could have been entirely different.
Yes marketing was bad, and the branding was confusing, and the gamepad wasn't utilized in an enticing way, but really there were no killer apps that you couldn't get before. Mario Maker would have blown people away as a launch title (especially a pack in).
Yes marketing was bad, and the branding was confusing, and the gamepad wasn't utilized in an enticing way, but really there were no killer apps that you couldn't get before. Mario Maker would have blown people away as a launch title (especially a pack in).
I don't think the focus on the GamePad would've been an issue if they had anything compelling to show for it. Instead they tried showing off NSMB Wii with someone drawing platforms and fireworks in Nintendoland.
If they had a lineup that actually sold people on the idea from the start (like say... Pac Man Vs. or something akin to Four Swords) we might've had something.
Why they didn't launch with new versions of Pac Man VS and Four Swords is still baffling. They were the very basis for the asymmetric gaming concept.
Theanine3D
Member
That and Pokemon Snap 2. It's unbelievable that these never showed up on the system.
A Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles HD remaster with online play would have helped a lot at launch too. That and Four Swords had already proved the value of asymmetric gaming over a decade before, yet Nintendo acted like they never existed.
Using a semi-defrosted Pollock as a bat.
Bitch Pudding
Member
Well, at least now we don't have to discuss anymore if Nintendo thinks of WiiU as a massive failure or not.
boiled goose
good with gravy
The problem is these games failed to evolve past their novelty appeal. Wii sports resort could have been sooo much more. The game doesn't even have online. Online and community are the future of gaming and Nintendo has failed hard here.
Let's take another example. Wii fit plus and wii fit U. Same shit again... why was there no wii fit companion mobile app? Syncs all your calories and steps with the game and share with friends, etc. This is what Nintendo should have done in the mobile space.
Nintendo continued to rely on hardware gimmicks when it was always about community.
Diddy Kong
Banned
I'm sorry but everything about Wii U screamed DISASTER.
Yes, because clearly Nintendo's audience wants to pay $500+ for a console and the resto of the market wants to pay more for a platform with no games compared to PS4 or Xbone instead of buying a Neo or Scorpio and getting everything they could want.
I feel like a lot of people here don't have a realistic view of the market. If someone is so obsessed with graphics that it's their #1 priority in choosing a platform, they're going to go for Scorpio of PC. There's is literally no reason to buy an NX over either of them if NX costs as much as or more than Scorpio unless you really want Nintendo games, and that case you'd buy something on par with Xbone or PS4 for $250 or $300 anyway. I don't think that such a strategy would result in selling as much as Wii U, let alone Wii, unless there are literally 90 million lapsed Nintendo fans who want to go Nintendo only but need them to have the most powerful console first. Really, releasing a Wii U 2 but with better marketing has a higher chance of success than that.
CosmicQueso
Member
The models probably had a number of scenarios, many well under.
But when there are financial targets to hit, and when the company has invested in a major project like a new console, a number of people in a number of positions must have signed off on the expenses and projections relating to the thing being a success.
Don't let one exec trying to weasel his way out of blame for failure of a product convince you that it was all the fault of the forecasters.
Forecasters have zero ability to influence product design, and often know little about the actual product itself.
The engineers and product developers will all say it's great because they want to look good to execs.
The execs will all say it's great because they want to look good to the board.
The execs will then lean on the forecasters to provide a forecast that supports how great they want to look.
Then, after it all goes to shit, some weak chickenshit execs will point to the forecasters and blame them.