Iwata: Wii U Has Lost Momentum

[Hero-of-Time]

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has said Wii U has “lost momentum” due to the company’s first-party release schedule.

 

“Wii U has lost momentum due to the release pace of first-party titles which has not lived up to consumers’ expectations,” said Iwata during Nintendo’s latest financial results briefing. “Starting with Pikmin 3 scheduled for release in the upcoming July, however, we will intensively launch our key titles to give sales momentum to the platform.

 

“Some have the misunderstanding that Wii U is just Wii with a pad for games, and others even consider Wii U GamePad as a peripheral device connectable to Wii. We feel deeply responsible for not having tried hard enough to have consumers understand the product.”

 

According to Iwata, the system does not yet have its Wii Sports—a game in which people “immediately comprehended its product value.”

 

Iwata continued, “Wii U has lost momentum due to the release pace of first-party titles which has not lived up to consumers’ expectations.

 

Nice to see Nintendo admitting they have stumbled out of the starting blocks. Now they just need to do something about it.

 

I had a chuckle at the bolded part. You told us the likes of Pikmin and Game & Wario would be part of the launch window. That's now over and the titles aren't here. You didn't hold up your end of the bargain, Iwata!

[Blade]

"Wii U had lost momentum"

 

Werent the sales figures crap to begin with anyway??

 

I hope that something is done to erm bring back the momentum.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Blade

[Hero-of-Time]

"Wii U had lost momentum"

 

Werent the sales figures crap to begin with a anyway??

 

I hope that something is done to erm bring back the momentum.

 

Someone on Gaf joked that to lose something you have to have it in the first place. I suppose he's kind of right.

 

The thing is, the warning signs were there when they announced the name and showed the Wii U at E3. The mainstream media were reporting the GamePad as an accessory for the Wii rather than it being part of a new console. Confusion was there from the start, Nintendo just chose not to address it.

[Londragon]

“Starting with Pikmin 3 scheduled for release in the upcoming July, however, we will intensively launch our key titles to give sales momentum to the platform."

 

It kind of makes me think that that they have deliberately held off Pikmin 3, etc. so that they can throw all their weight behind a relaunch after E3. Come August and, wham, bam, it's all going to drop! Games and Prices.

[Kav]

With there being no E3 Press Conference I do t know if momentum will pick up at all this year. They need to be getting the message across to the average joe in the street that its a new console capable of much more than the Wii. Most people still don't know this.

[Zechs Merquise]

The Wii U is basically dead - and Nintendo have killed it. Poor pricing, worse advertising, non-existent in Britain's biggest retailers and now no E3.

 

Great way to commit corporate suicide!

[V. Amoleo]

Reminds me of the Nintendo 3DS when that launched. What did happen to that quirky piece of tech that nobody asked for?

 

Joking aside, I haven't enjoyed my Wii U anywhere near as much as I did my 3DS in the same time period. But I'm sure they'll be able to do a soft relaunch like they did with the 3DS to turn it around.

[RedShell]

Reminds me of the Nintendo 3DS when that launched. What did happen to that quirky piece of tech that nobody asked for?

 

Joking aside, I haven't enjoyed my Wii U anywhere near as much as I did my 3DS in the same time period. But I'm sure they'll be able to do a soft relaunch like they did with the 3DS to turn it around.

Yeah, I'm sure that once the big 1st party Wii U software finally arrives this situation will change drastically, just like with the 3DS.

It's a shame that Nintendo got into this predicament again though, you'd think they would've learnt from the 3DS launch.

Oh well, perhaps they'll get it right for their next console.

[liger05]

Looks like to me they just recycled the same memo from 2 years ago but used the find and replace option and replaced the word 3DS with with Wii U.

 

When people saw the games announced for the launch period people said that wont cut it but nobody at Nintendo seemed to realise and now once again Iwata is having to explain why this happened when prior to launch he said they had learnt from what happened with the 3DS.

 

“Some have the misunderstanding that Wii U is just Wii with a pad for games, and others even consider Wii U GamePad as a peripheral device connectable to Wii. We feel deeply responsible for not having tried hard enough to have consumers understand the product.”

 

Really. After designing a console which looks like the Wii, naming it the Wii-U, making the main focus of the console being the gamepad, setting up demo units with Wii peripherals attached and running ad campaigns which do nothing to make it clear this is a new console they now realise there is a problem. After E3 2011 when they showed off the gamepad people were asking what it was and whether it was a wii add on. There wasn’t anyone within the company who thought ‘we may have a problem here?’

[Hero-of-Time]

I've seen a lot of people using the 3DS as an example of a turnaround that could happen and I don't think it's as simple as that. I was on about this situation earlier in the week to Lostmario while playing Monster Hunter. 3DS is a beast because of Japan's liking of handhelds. The Wii U will probably get a boost when the new software arrives but no way will it get the same kind of turnaround the 3DS had.

[Kav]

The WiiU won't sell well beyond the Nintendo fan-base. I reckon numbers between GC and N64 sales numbers. It won't gain much momentum at all. Especially not at the price it's currently at!

[Clownferret]

my family are all loving the wii u and the fact sales are slow does not diminish our enjoyment of the console. i read recently that wii u has actualy sold more units than PS3 and 360 through the same launch period.

 

Let's be honest we all bought a wii u to play Nintendo games and we know they are coming so just enjoy the other games that are available now until the AAA's start to drop.

[RedShell]

I've seen a lot of people using the 3DS as an example of a turnaround that could happen and I don't think it's as simple as that. I was on about this situation earlier in the week to Lostmario while playing Monster Hunter. 3DS is a beast because of Japan's liking of handhelds. The Wii U will probably get a boost when the new software arrives but no way will it get the same kind of turnaround the 3DS had.

Probably get a boost? Probably?

How can it not get a boost from its current position?

 

Sure the impact might not be as big as it was with the 3DS, but the Wii U will definitely start to pick up once the big Nintendo titles arrive.

[Hero-of-Time]

Probably get a boost? Probably?

How can it not get a boost from its current position?

 

Haha. Bad wording on my part.

[liger05]

I've seen a lot of people using the 3DS as an example of a turnaround that could happen and I don't think it's as simple as that. I was on about this situation earlier in the week to Lostmario while playing Monster Hunter. 3DS is a beast because of Japan's liking of handhelds. The Wii U will probably get a boost when the new software arrives but no way will it get the same kind of turnaround the 3DS had.

 

Yes it’s not as simple at all but I don’t think 3DS is a beast cos of Japan’s liking to handhelds. The Vita is a handheld which has struggled big time in Japan since launch. I think it’s simply about the 3DS having the titles that people want to play which makes the 3DS king while when it launched it had droughts and this caused its sales to be lower than expected but still nowhere near as low as the Wii U sales. Not even close!!

 

I am not certain the Wii U will see a major turnaround simply cos the Gamecube had big titles and it didn’t do much to change its fortunes. There is no guarantee that Mario Kart Wii, SSB etc etc will be enough to sustain a real change other than a temporary boost.

 

I think Nintendo had a window of opportunity to gain market share and mind share and that window is now close to being shut. It’s going to be a lot harder even with the big hitters once the PS4 and 720 launch and without 3rd party support it makes it even more difficult.

[Dcubed]

At this point, it'll take a miracle to save this thing.

 

TBH, I think a lot of its chances depend on the failure of Sony and MS at this E3. In order for the Wii to zombie itself back to life, they need to pull off a 2013 3DS style massive-lineup-out-of-freaking-nowhere move (with at least 2 big games every month from July onwards), a possible price cut, a massive Kinect-Launch level promotional blitz that highlights the console itself (maybe a slight rebranding, with a different logo design) and Sony E3 2006 level failures to occur for MS and Sony (events so bad that they actually take E3 down with them).

 

I don't see it happening...

[Retro_Link]

Also 3DS games are FAR cheaper to create in comparison and require less development time.

[Agent Gibbs]

I'd be happy for them to rebrand every new WiiU made from now on and relaunch it as something with a non Wii branded name, its too confusing for the average joe.

 

The only other option it to actually have a decent advertising campaign and get information out there, get people to see its a new console, the piss poor infrequent adverts they use right now are useless to everyone

[yesteryeargames]

They had a perfect chance at e3 this year to put things right, but they even screwed that up now lol :S

[Jimbob]

I'm still hanging on to see when Pikmen 3 comes out, that is one of the reasons why i would like a Wii-U. I would have purchased one at launch, but there was only 1 game worth buying at the time. Still is in theory, but there are titles i would like to try. The 3DS now has some cracking titles coming for it, just need the Wii-U to catch-up really.

 

Plus my financial situation has changed recently, so i may still get one soon. Maybe.

[madeinbeats]

At this point, it'll take a miracle to save this thing.

 

TBH, I think a lot of its chances depend on the failure of Sony and MS at this E3. In order for the Wii to zombie itself back to life, they need to pull off a 2013 3DS style massive-lineup-out-of-freaking-nowhere move (with at least 2 big games every month from July onwards), a possible price cut, a massive Kinect-Launch level promotional blitz that highlights the console itself (maybe a slight rebranding, with a different logo design) and Sony E3 2006 level failures to occur for MS and Sony (events so bad that they actually take E3 down with them).

 

I don't see it happening...

 

I sort of agree with most of this except the opening line, and the closing one haha. I sort of agree with the theory that a stumble from MS or Sony would always help, but it goes without saying you don't place the dependency of your business plan of such things either.

 

Nintendo must have known fairly early on it was sending the Wii U out on a wing and a prayer where development of key momentum building titles are concerned.

 

I think that's why there's been no marketing. They fumbled the launch, there was little point in a big momentum drive. Relaunch set for July onwards which gives 4 months incentive to build on awareness before othe consoles launch.

 

Writing is far from on the wall... yet!

[Dcubed]

I sort of agree with most of this except the opening line, and the closing one haha. I sort of agree with the theory that a stumble from MS or Sony would always help, but it goes without saying you don't place the dependency of your business plan of such things either.

 

Nintendo must have known fairly early on it was sending the Wii U out on a wing and a prayer where development of key momentum building titles are concerned.

 

I think that's why there's been no marketing. They fumbled the launch, there was little point in a big momentum drive. Relaunch set for July onwards which gives 4 months incentive to build on awareness before othe consoles launch.

 

Writing is far from on the wall... yet!

 

Heh, you're right about one thing for sure. Nintendo aren't just flying by the seat of their pants here. They know full well the implications of not turning up at E3 with a conference and they also have the luxury of knowing what they've got cooking up, so I'm sure that they're not making this decision for no reason (they did just put out a forecast of 9 million Wii Us sold this fiscal year, so they surely believe that they've still got some rabbits to pull out of their hat).

 

Even if they had nothing new to show, even if they just went into details about games that they've already announced, that would be enough for a full E3 presser. I'm sure that we're not giving them enough credit here, despite how crazy this looks from our perspective.

 

Still, I stand by what I said. I can't see this ending well for them unless luck rains down from the heavens and MS/Sony's pressers end in complete and total disaster (so disastrous that even Sony's E3 2006 event would blush!), while they knock it out of the park (with something as awesome as the power of the combined forces of Megazord, Godzilla and the Thundercats!)

Edited April 25, 2013 by Dcubed

[Ronnie]

I wanted to hear the crowd go wild for Wind Waker HD

[Wii]

Post moved, wrong thread.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Wii

[Serebii]

The Wii U is basically dead - and Nintendo have killed it. Poor pricing, worse advertising, non-existent in Britain's biggest retailers and now no E3.

 

Great way to commit corporate suicide!

It's not "No E3"