Nintendo Owns 2008, Looks to 2009
Wii and DS Maker Dominated Gaming Hardware Sales Last Year
Jan 22, 2009
According to the NPD Group's analysis, both of Nintendo's consoles completely obliterated the competition, each selling more than twice the amount of any other console. The Wii saw total sales of more than 10 million, while the DS saw sales that nearly reached that mark. The closest competitor was Microsoft's Xbox 360, which saw total year sales of 4.74 million.
Wii Success No Surprise
The fact that the Wii came out on top was no surprise to anyone in the industry, considering what an unstoppable force it has been since its release in 2006. Total sales for the console surpassed 50 million earlier this year, making it the undisputed global leader in gaming right now.
In December alone, the Wii managed to sell more than 2 million units, despite continued supply problems.
"Demand continues to exceed supply," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo's United States executive vice president of sales and marketing in an interview with Bloomberg. "If we had had more in December I'm very confident we would have sold more."
Wii Fit Helps Expand Market
One factor of the Wii's continued success was the launch of Wii Fit earlier this year. The product helped expand and deepen Nintnedo's commitment to the casual user and has sold nearly 15 million copies worldwide despite its hefty price tag and supply problems just as severe as the Wii itself.
Nintendo of America's President and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime told Gamasutra.com in November that he expected a shortage of Wii Fit for the 2008 holiday season.
"With Wii Fit, I know we'll fall short," he said. "That's a product we have consumers lining up for each morning outside of our Nintendo World store [in New York City]."
Other Nintendo titles continue to sell very well in addition to Wii Fit. Wii Play, and the recently released Animal Crossing City Folk all made substantial sales in the latter part of 2008.
DS Does Its Part
But the Wii isn't the only console helping push Nintendo to the top. The DS sold nearly as many units as the Wii in 2008 and sold a smoldering 3.04 million units in December alone, the largest one month figure in the console's history. That's not too shabby for a console that's entering its fifth year on the market.
2009 Looks Equally Bright
Nintendo's plans for 2009 will likely continue the massive expansion of the casual market, especially in the fitness area. Third parties like Ubisoft and Electronic Arts are jumping on the fitness bandwagon with their own Wii titles, a trend that will only bring more into the loop if they enjoy success from their endeavors.
In addition, Nintendo plans to relaunch a number of original GameCube titles with Wii specific controls in an effort to revive old franchises, like Pikmin.
In addition, the upcoming launch of the Nintendo DSi, which includes a camera, will likely only expand the market even more. In short, Nintendo likely won't be relinquishing its gaming crown anytime soon.
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