NEWS momentum 2013 New games launch from January 11th
Razor’s Edgeon January 11th and Sing Partyon January 18th. Additional releases planned for Wii U’s ‘launch window’, which runs up to March 31st, include Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Pikmin 3and LEGO City Undercoverand reach out to as broad an audience as possible. Honeywell says that the platform holder aims to “maintain that balance [between core and casual] throughout the quarter and onwards, for the duration of Wii U”.
The action gets underway at HMV Oxford Street’s Wii U midnight launch
“Nintendo always makes sure it launches games throughout the year,” he said. “We don’t really focus particularly on Christmas. We’ve got a strong line-up all the way through the year. We always have the marketing to support that. We have plans to take sampling all the way through the year. “For us, it’s not just about launch, it’s about building momentum and maintaining that over a long period of time.” Nintendo: 01753 483700
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS U? THOSE LOOKING for a way to criticise the Wii U launch last week had plenty of material at their disposal. Weariness amongst parts of the specialist media and cynicism from the cutting edge online world has always cast doubt on it. It was as if some people want Nintendo to fail. Yes, I’m sure that on terms relative to the other consoles and devices, it was a slower start than some expected. But was it a success on Nintendo’s terms? With its typical long-term focus on momentum, and a Japanese launch only this weekend, we just don’t know yet. Here in the UK, the Wii U arrival last week was good in ways some have missed or simply not acknowledged yet. For a start, there technically was a Wii U game at No.1 in the form
of the Black Ops IISKU. A tenuous link, but no less emblematic: Wii U has put Nintendo, finally – if belatedly – on an even footing with the other HD consoles.
It’s created more opportunities for third party current gen triple-A projects before the costs ramp up for next-gen ones. Elsewhere, original Wii software sales were up £1m week-on-week, no doubt driven by the new console’s legacy playback functions. Other Wii titles – associated with Just Dance and Disney – had risen in the rankings, too. You can’t deny the overall additive effect on the market that it contributes to. Over £14m was spent on Wii U hardware and software last week.
If Nintendo can build the buzz and maintain the stock flow, that can grow as we get closer to Christmas.
And I think that’s what anyone sane really wants for Nintendo.
OUR SURVEY SAYS… WITHOUT FAIL, the annual MCVretail survey throws up surprising answers. You’ll have seen on the cover some startling stiff upper lips in the face of rather dire 2012 trading so far. But the one that tickles us is this quirk of human nature: Every year, without fail, retailers praise Call of Dutyfor its sales success, publisher support and added peripherals sales. FIFAalso gets some glory. Yet when we ask them what they are looking forward to next year, they never name those games. Even though those brands are the bankers which will return in 12 months. Just goes to show that new ideas excite the trade, despite the fact that the old favourites are the ones boosting the bottom line. Michael.French@intentmedia.co.uk