Following the reveal of their new Wii U system at E3 2011 last week, Nintendo conducted a Q&A session with analysts at the event, to field questions about their current and future plans. A transcript of this is now online and provides interesting insight regarding the company’s ongoing focus.
The Wii U doesn’t launch until 2012, which leaves the current Wii to serve as Nintendo’s home entertainment system for the remainder of the year, at the very least. When questioned as to how Nintendo would continue to sell Wii systems, considering that the impending release of the Wii U might appear more attractive to some, Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, replied that the solution was to sell the system to late adopters.
“This is a group of people who, despite the Wii becoming a social phenomenon, still have not bought the system,” Iwata emphasized. “So, we need to move beyond that and try to find other reasons for them to want to purchase the system.”
Iwata and Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime, both believe that holiday season sales become increasingly important when selling to the late adopter, as does the concept of focusing on regions like Latin America, which provide further growth opportunities. The Hispanic consumer shares family values matched by Nintendo products, Fils-Aime believes.
Additionally, a Mario Kart Wii bundle priced at $150 was introduced on May 15th. Sales of this have been strong, as have those of Nintendo’s budget games line, Fils-Aime revealed. In a separate report, analyst, Michael Pachter, indicated that the Wii sold 236,000 units in May, as compared to the Xbox 360’s 270,000 units, which was the top-selling console for the month.
