Don't Bet Against Nintendo, GameStop Says

Nintendo's Wii U may not have gotten off to a hot start, but you shouldn't bet against the platform, according to GameStop president Tony Bartel. Speaking with investors today during an earnings call, Bartel laid out the reasons why he thinks the Wii U can be a hit.

"We've been very consistent every time we're asked about the Wii U," he said. "Really what they needed was two things: they needed strong first-party titles, which we think that they are getting; and they also needed to do a better job of explaining exactly what the connected tablet--as we like to call it--how you actually use that. I think they are going to do a great job on both of those."

Some major first-party Wii U games on the way include Super Smash Bros. (fall 2014), Hyrule Warriors (September), and a brand new, open-world Legend of Zelda game for 2015.

GameStop executive vice president Mike Hogan also chimed in, saying Mario Kart 8's record-setting release in May helped drive Wii U sales substantially. The game has sold nearly 3 million copies worldwide to date. In addition, GameStop management referenced the data released this week from Amazon (via MCV) that showed Wii U game preorders spiked by a major margin after Gamescom last week. "So we're very excited about that," Bartel said.

Finally, Bartel teased that Nintendo's upcoming toy line, amiibo, could be a big hit. "I would also not sell amiibo short, either," he said. Amiibo launches this fall with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and will also work with Mario Kart 8, Yoshi's Woolly World, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and Mario Party 10. Nintendo will also sell an adapter that will allow the toys to work with the 3DS.

GameStop today reported earnings for its latest quarter, and the results were strong across the board. The company posted year-over-year gains for revenue and profit, and also saw hardware and software post positive growth compared to last year.