UK and Australian retail stores reduce Nintendo Stock.

[Mr.Mattress]

This is sad, but expected (For the WiiU, currently). Surprisingly though, they also shrank space for the 3DS/DS! That I don't understand. My guess is Europe just isn't for Nintendo. The only time Nintendo's ever done well in Europe was the NES, and even then the Sega Master System was a powerhouse there.

Still, I hope that they reverse course after this Christmas, and expand the Nintendo sections of their game isles.

 

[Roxas1359]

The only time Nintendo's ever done well in Europe was the NES, and even then the Sega Master System was a powerhouse there.

Really that was more because of the fact that the NES was released in Europe extremely late for some strange reason and so Sega took the opportunity and got the strongest foothold there. Sony's systems actually do extremely well in Europe nowadays though.

When you think about it Nintendo's has the most success in Japan and North America, Microsoft really in North America and some parts of Europe, and Sony's been pretty even all around.

 

[sneakypenguin]

I'd almost look to see wal-mart do it to.
Granted the 3-4 i'm in are slower 120-200 million dollar year sales stores but the five week running average wii u sales are less than one a week. The whole accessories rack and game rack except for nsmbU has collected a layer of dust. No one even messes w/ the demo wii U but are still playing PS3.

Unless N is still paying them for salesfloor space then when PSONE comes out I don't know where they will stock it. especially since ps3 and 360 still move quite a bit of volume.

 

[Roxas1359]

Unless N is still paying them for salesfloor space then when PSONE comes out I...

They're rereleasing the PSOne!? How did I not know of this, I loved that little thing:

Sorry, could resist making a joke like that. It was too easy for me. XD

Although you are right that people just aren't interested in the Wii U really it seems. I mean go to a lot of tech stores, hell just went to Fry's Electronics a few hours ago, and no one is ever playing the Wii U Demo Station. The same thing in GameStops as well, and the displays and the demos are right there in broad daylight that's for sure. Especially since they are using the Basic models for the Wii U demo stations and that bright white console definitely catches yours eyes, but sadly not people's interests.

 

[EbonBehelit]

Dick Smith's sells games now?

I mean, in all due seriousness, who goes to DSE specifically to buy games? They've had bare-bones product for pretty much every console for as long as I can remember.

 

[Kinitawowi]

So I guess that means by the time the Wii-U might actually become attractive in both price and game library, it'll be so obscure you won't even be able to get one.

It's the Gamecube for me all over again.

Not to sound trite, but there is this thing called online shopping which wasn't nearly as prevalent in the Gamecube era. It's actually driving brick-and-mortar shops out of business with how popular it is. I have a hunch that Wii U's might be available in plentiful supply online to anyone who's interested...

Maybe, maybe not... but when brick and mortar electronic places die out, you know who makes the most out of their losses? Supermarkets. Tesco is about the third or fourth biggest electronics retailer in the UK (behind the Dixons group (Currys and PC World) and possibly John Lewis and/or Argos - I'm excluding Amazon for the moment), and they're not a small company to be pulling out. If this was Morrisons abandoning ship I wouldn't care, but this is Tesco - have a think about how many young'uns are dragged round there by uninterested mums (and be honest, Nintendo still has the appearance in the UK of targeting youngsters and the uninterested), and how many of those people are now less likely to be exposed to Nintendo tech.

Honestly, if I was head of Nintendo Europe, I'd be finding out who runs their marketing division in the UK and lighting the mother of all fires under their arse, because right now you're doing a better job of trying to sell the console over here than Nintendo have.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

what really makes me suspicious is that they reduced 3DS stock. Okay, the Wii U is one thing...but reducing stock for the 3DS is pants-on-head retarded. I think this is more of a sign that this retailer's executives are huffing paint.

 

[NightWolfe978]

Well it's certainly not good. The two biggest supermarkets (ASDA, and now Tesco) basically dropping nearly all Wii U stuff? Yeah, not exactly a great sign.

Hell, there's barely any Wii U stuff in my local GAME. You want to know how many copies of The Wonderful 101 they got it for example? 6. In total.

Is the WiiU dead? Not really. Not from this, anyway. My experience with Dick Smith's is that they only stock a bare minimum of each systems best selling game lines at the best of times, so all in all it won't be that big of a loss. Were it EB Games (The Australian version of Gamestop) or JB HiFi that would be more of a concern, but its not, so I wouldn't read a whole lot into it.

EB Games is an American company owned by Gamestop. Started right outside of Philadelphia and eventually grew and opened up stores in the UK, Australia, etc

 

[deadish]

No. Even if they completely fuck up this gen, they have enough money to weather out a couple of hiccups.

Just because they can weather it, doesn't mean they would. Shareholders do not appreciate it when management wastes THEIR money.

 

[GebGuy]

I honestly didn't know that Dick Smith actually carried games.

 

[AD-Stu]

Is the WiiU dead? Not really. Not from this, anyway. My experience with Dick Smith's is that they only stock a bare minimum of each systems best selling game lines at the best of times, so all in all it won't be that big of a loss. Were it EB Games (The Australian version of Gamestop) or JB HiFi that would be more of a concern, but its not, so I wouldn't read a whole lot into it.

^ this, pretty much. As far as Australia goes, Dick Smith isn't exactly a major retailer as far as gaming goes.

That's not to say the system is doing well in all other retailers, of course, or that other retailers won't follow suit. But Dick Smith alone selling down stock isn't something you should read too much into.

 

[WeepingAngels]

So I guess that means by the time the Wii-U might actually become attractive in both price and game library, it'll be so obscure you won't even be able to get one.

It's the Gamecube for me all over again.

I don't think it's doing as well as the Gamecube did. I like your optimism though.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Oh noes, Tesco won't sell as many Nintendo products anymore! Whatever will I do? Oh hey look, a Gamestop, guess I'll go there. Seriously, who gets their consoles/games from frigging Tesco? They have, what, 3 games tops at a time? HMV would be a better indication that it's going badly.

 

[RicoADF]

Well it's certainly not good. The two biggest supermarkets (ASDA, and now Tesco) basically dropping nearly all Wii U stuff? Yeah, not exactly a great sign.

Hell, there's barely any Wii U stuff in my local GAME. You want to know how many copies of The Wonderful 101 they got it for example? 6. In total.

Is the WiiU dead? Not really. Not from this, anyway. My experience with Dick Smith's is that they only stock a bare minimum of each systems best selling game lines at the best of times, so all in all it won't be that big of a loss. Were it EB Games (The Australian version of Gamestop) or JB HiFi that would be more of a concern, but its not, so I wouldn't read a whole lot into it.

EB Games is an American company owned by Gamestop. Started right outside of Philadelphia and eventually grew and opened up stores in the UK, Australia, etc

I believe he is saying that we don't have gamestop, that EB Games is their franchise here. We're quite aware that like almost everything else it's American owned >.>

 

[Jaythulhu]

Dick Smith isn't even a retailer any more. It was doing so badly it got sold for a pittance by its previous owner, and is now being converted to be the electronics section of another major retailer (myer).

 

[Dryk]

Dick Smith's sells games now?

I mean, in all due seriousness, who goes to DSE specifically to buy games? They've had bare-bones product for pretty much every console for as long as I can remember.

Dick Smith's tends to have bare-bones product for damn near everything, at high prices. That's why they went under, a company that sells SOME TVs, SOME cables, SOME electrical gear and SOME games at prices like that can't compete with more specialised stores like JB or Jaycar.

 

[Danceofmasks]

Only people who are clueless shop at Dick Smith Electronics.
It's a far cry from the olden days, when that genius Dick Smith ran the stores, when you could pick up all the parts to build yourself a kickass custom CB radio.
These days you only acknowledge the stores' existence with profound sadness.