Ubisoft: Don't count out the Wii just yet
Game developer still sees value in the Wii, even as Nintendo's top competitors, Sony and Microsoft, have delivered motion-gaming peripherals of their own.
Sony and Microsoft are now directly competing in the motion-gaming arena, but developer Ubisoft says Nintendo's Wii still has some fight left in it.
"I think that anybody who makes assumptions about the Wii going away quickly, or is over, is taking a big risk," Tony Key, Ubisoft senior vice president of sales and marketing, told Industry Gamers in an article posted yesterday. "Certainly, Ubisoft doesn't believe that."
Key noted that the Wii is still the "most successful home console ever." And given that more than 3 million Wiis were sold last December, Key predicts that Nintendo could see similar success this holiday-shopping season.
Of course, Ubisoft has every reason to want to see the Wii perform well. The company will be launching Michael Jackson: The Experience later this month. It also released Just Dance 2 for Nintendo's console last month. Admitting that the Wii is on the decline probably wouldn't be good for business.
Key did point out that Ubisoft also sees value in the Microsoft Kinect motion-gaming peripheral, which launched today. He said Ubisoft will be supporting the platform "in a big way." And he predicts that the Kinect will "be sold out a lot this holiday season."
Nintendo, no doubt, is struggling right now. The company posted a loss of about $24.6 million during the six months that ended September 30. That decline was partly due to slumping sales of the Wii. Over the six-month period, Nintendo shipped 4.97 million Wii units. During the same period last year, it shipped 5.75 million Wiis.
Nintendo hopes to change its luck with the help of bundled games, including the upcoming Super Mario Bros. bundle, which commemorates the 25th anniversary of the iconic title.
However, the company has made it clear that even with its financial concerns, it will not reduce the price of the Wii in the "near future."