Iwata Admits Nintendo Didn't Try Hard Enough To Make Wii U Success

[Karloff]

Iwata Admits Nintendo Didn't Try Hard Enough To Make Wii U Success

Nintendo of America's new CEO starts his reign with an apology, and a plan for the future.

"We feel deeply responsible for not having tried hard enough to have consumers understand the product," says Satoru Iwata, Nintendo of America's new CEO, as he outlines where he thinks Nintendo's Wii U strategy let the company down. Nintendo had hoped that its latest console would have more of a presence in the market by now, but harsh reality has set in, and Iwata acknowledges that much more effort is needed after the Wii U posted sales results of just 390,000 units sold since Christmas [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123493-Satoru-Iwata-To-Become-Nintendo-of-America-CEO]. Some may think that the Wii U is just a Wii with an extra peripheral but, Iwata says, that misconception needs to be dispelled.

The lack of a killer app, something like Wii Sports, is what really dragged down Wii U sales, Iwata thinks. A new console needs something to draw in the customers, and - so far, anyway - there really hasn't been that much for Wii U owners to look forward to, nor have people really been able to get to grips with the Gamepad [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/7169-Luigis-Mansion-Dark-Moon]. "We would like to take time to work thoroughly for its penetration," says Iwata, "by making various efforts to have many people understand its product value as well as enriching the software lineup."

While that bit about enriching the software lineup might give potential Wii U purchasers pause, Iwata didn't go on to detail a list of titles. No, that kind of announcement has to wait for an event like E3, so no peeking at the product list until June. Iwata promises a slew of new key titles, to come out later this year and early next. "We have many titles whose release dates are yet to be announced," says Iwata. Whether or not the promise of new titles is enough to boost Wii U sales is an open question but, if we're waiting till E3 to find out what's on offer, then sales until then might just remain flat.

Source: MCV [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/iwata-outlines-nintendo-s-battle-plan/0114689]


Permalink

 

[EstrogenicMuscle]

Every gaming piece of software has now become an "app". I remember when they were games.

Well, they're probably right. And I'm glad they admit to it. I just hope they can turn things around.

The question is exactly how to get third party software on the Wii U.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Pikmin 3, Game & Wario and, Wonderful 101 would help move some units but only 2 of those have release dates in the US. Game & Wario seems to be doing well in Japan too so hopefully it'll do well enough in the West to really move consoles. More info on the next Zelda and, Yoshi will be greatly appreciated and hopefully someone will shed light on the F-Zero rumors that are starting to swirl around.

 

[Charli]

And by consumers you mean you didn't work with game developers enough to ensure there would be any games to play on it by at least six months later after it's launch (and even now it's looking abysmal). I mean why the frig didn't you hold off in that case!?

The 'average consumers' were fine... we were all with you on this... until suddenly there were no games to play.

This mindset of short term profits and booting projects out of the door to coincide with the holiday season is why you suffer down the line!

 

[Sidmen]

I've pretty much accepted that I'm just not in the market demographic for the Wii or WiiU, but I'll be honest - I don't see any appeal in the WiiU over the Wii.

So, it uses the exact same motion-sensitive controller as the Wii, except that it also has a Tablet with joysticks and buttons on it... is that thing used in conjunction with the Wiimotes; do you have to switch from one to another mid-game, or do you only use one for certain games but the other for other games... or what?

 

[Something Amyss]

Every gaming piece of software has now become an "app".

"Killer app" is a phrase which predates the current app craziness.

Also, all games are applications, so it's not exactly untrue.

Plus, it's Nintendo. If anyone's going to rip off Apple's mentality, it's the other guys famous for making shiny white products that claim innovation while ripping off the ideas of others.

 

[Nazulu]

That's right, get to work mother fucker! And for fuck sake, don't rush the games for an earlier release. Make sure they're all almost perfect like most of the top Gamecube titles. Oh, and start up a new franchise if you can.

 

[kyoodle]

Every gaming piece of software has now become an "app". I remember when they were games.

The term 'killer app' has been around and used for games for at least 20 years.

OT: The marketing message for what the Wii U is has been terrible, in Game I heard two customers ask the clerk why the new Wii controller was so expensive. It's going to take a pretty big advertising campaign to reverse the consumer perception that it is just a new peripheral.

 

[Hazy992]

You mean no games and no marketing won't sell units? I never would have guessed...

 

[Gorrath]

With a great deal of the audience for the Wii having been people new to the market, Nintendo did a terrible job advertising the WiiU. AS dedicated gamers, we understood well in advance when it was coming and what its capabilities are, but a great deal of the people who bought a Wii were not dedicated gamers and don't hunt gaming websites for product details.

Nintendo has failed to explain to their consumer base what the product is and more importantly, why they should buy it. I would be unsurprised to find that many people who bought a Wii don't even know the WiiU exists. The advertising campaign for the Wii was a case study in success while the Wiiu's has been a disaster. Add in the fact that the people who count gaming as a core hobby don't see much value in the system due to a lack of games being released or because the more powerful Sony and Microsoft offerings are near enough to wait, and Nintendo is really failing to capture any segment of the market here.

As I am neutral when it comes to brand loyalty, the whole fiasco is disheartening. I want to see as much success by as many different console makers as possible. Competition in the games market is always, always good for the consumer.

 

[Ickabod]

I have a Wii U. I like my Wii U. Now if only I had some games to play on my Wii U.

Seriously Mario Kart or Zelda should have been launch titles to head off the PS4 and the new Xbox. Instead we got a couple ports from other systems and a very good Mario game. Aside from that I can buy low res Wii games, but why would I want a low res game when I have a HD system.

It really seems like Nintendo saw that they had to beat Sony and Microsoft to the market with their system, so they got the system up and running, but weren't ready with any software.

 

[Maerx]

What we understand about your product is that PS3 and Xbox360 have more games.
Sometimes it seems like Nintendo turned out like the polar oposite of SEGA: now SEGA only makes games and Nintendo only makes consoles.

If they keep going downhill they may end up just like SEGA. I don't want that.

Nintendo started throwing third parties since the Nintendo 64 and it hasn't gotten any better.

 

[Erttheking]

Ok, admitting your problems is the first step to solving them.

 

[Beautiful End]

You know, I'm tired of big companies going "Oh, we know our product didn't sell that well. But honestly, we weren't trying hard enough. Sorry!". Why do companies release half assed products into the market? oh, that's right, to make a quick buck.

If they think the WiiU was ready for launch and for some reason people just don't wanna buy it, fine! They tried their best, their demographic is somewhere else, cool deal. But to say they released it and admit it probably could have done better if it had this or that, then that's just wrong. Look at Bioshock Infinite; it was pushed back who knows how many times and it was totally worth it. But you had to be the first next gen. console, right? How's that working out for ya, big N?

Sorry, but I'm just tried of Nintendo sucking and being all "Well, my bad! But remember when we used to be cool? Keep looking forward to that!". I'll never buy a WiiU but I still have a soft spot for Nintendo. I don't want them to end up like Sega. They can do it, they have every single element to be the best console of this generation. But they won't do it.
I'm glad I switched over to PS.

 

[Comocat]

I don't think they really thought about the name. Wii-U vs Wii? The only people who are really going to care about that difference is probably a demographic that doesnt really care about Nintendo in the first place. My wife saw the latest nintendo commercial last night on Hulu and was telling my about this nifty gamepad you can get for the Wii. It took me a few minutes she was talking about about the new controller for the Wii-U.

 

[medv4380]

do you have to switch from one to another mid-game, or do you only use one for certain games but the other for other games... or what?

The tablet is the only one you need. The Wii Motes are mostly for backwards comparability. However, if you're playing Nintendo Land you may have to change to the Wii Motes because NLand really is just a collection of mini games. With the exception of NLand I've never had to switch controllers mid-game. They really should have stressed the Pro Controller more, but then again the pro controller is just the tablet without the screen.

 

[destroyer2k]

I have a crazy idea for nintendo: change the name of the console and fire the man or woman who thought that wiiU was a great name.

 

[Aircross]

I remembered when Nintendo consoles would launched with a plethora of must own high-quality first and second party games.

What happened to that?