Iwata: Wii Music, Animal Crossing disappointing

By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpotPosted Feb 6, 2009 11:43 am PT

Nintendo president hopeful for games' long-term chances despite slowing Wii sales in Japan, says higher price will let DSi sell alongside DS Lite for some time.

Last week, the quarterly financial report victory lap that has become a Nintendo standard in recent years featured a slight stumble, as the Wii and DS maker cut its full-year revenue and profit projections. The tempered expectations were primarily due to the strengthening of the Japanese yen, but in a newly translated post-earnings conference call, Iwata acknowledged some Nintendo products that failed to live up to expectations.

Despite sales of 2.5 million, Nintendo thinks Wii Music struck a slightly sour note.

"Wii Music, as of now, has not achieved its true potential," Iwata said when asked about the game's performance. He added, "Currently, I think that the appeal of Wii Music has not yet been fully conveyed and accepted by those who could be interested. We do not like to think that we failed with Wii Music nor that we should abandon sales support. If we had approached Brain Training with that mentality, the software would have not achieved the current sales situation. The first-week unit sales of the original Brain Training in Japan was just around 45,000. We should not have the attitude that a game does not have sales potential because the first week or first month sales were small."

Other disappointments for Nintendo included Animal Crossing: City Folk and the reception it and Wii Music received in Japan.

"At the end of last year, Nintendo launched two Wii titles, Animal Crossing and Wii Music, in hopes that the Japanese consumers would appreciate them and revitalize the Wii market in Japan," Iwata said. "Our efforts have not lived up to our expectation. While Wii had very strong momentum in the overseas markets, the Wii market in Japan (during the year-end sales season) showed a slow start, did not show sharp trajectory in sales, and ended up moving back to the sales level of non-sales-season level quickly."

Despite the disappointment, Iwata emphasized that Wii Music and Animal Crossing shouldn't be considered failures by any means. Worldwide, Nintendo has sold 3.2 million copies of Animal Crossing: City Folk and 2.5 million copies of Wii Music.

As for the company's upcoming hardware, the DSi, Iwata addressed how quickly he expects it to overtake the hardware's current iteration, the DS Lite. He mentioned that the DS Lite replaced the original DS on North American shelves very quickly because it carried the same price as its predecessor.

"This time, considering the current foreign currency exchange rates, there is no possibility of selling DSi overseas with the same price as DS Lite at all. There will have to be a difference in price. With this price difference, I think that the DS Lite and DSi will be sold side by side in the Americas and in Europe, but I will not be able to comment on their ratio today as we have not announced the prices and we will have to see how people react to the announcement."

Already on sale in Japan for ¥18,900 ($179), the DSi is set for North American and European release by the end of summer.

240 Comments

  • GameShark9000

    Posted Nov 8, 2009 4:21 am PT

    @ CorruptGamerGX
    Don't you mean Reggie Fils-Amie?

  • Red-Volta

    Posted Feb 14, 2009 6:15 pm PT

    Casual games get casual sales. Hardcore gamers *may* pick these up for the heck of it. Casual gamers are going to think they're "neato" but they're casual gamers; they don't *get* excited about games. I bought AC:CF and thought it was vaguely fun, but now I'm bored with it. Nintendo, we need moar depth in games.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 9:12 pm PT

    I have to say Wii Music is a good game. Try it! The only down side to it is the lack of good songs to try to play. But other than that It isn't a bad game by all means!

  • Spider-Jim

    Posted Feb 12, 2009 8:15 am PT

    I agree with slothboyadvance. I have no interest in WiiMusic I want another Zelda and another Metroid . Where's Wii Fire Emblem and the next Mario Party?

  • taddia

    Posted Feb 11, 2009 2:06 am PT

    I say, the hipe about the wii is definitely fading out... I think only the wiimotion plus, in addiction to some new killer apps (monster hunter 3, madworld, and so on) can revitalize wii sales... It's just an opinion, but i think the console is starting his decline... tho i'm sad about this, but Wii needs more third house support and R E A L games (de blob.. O_O lol)

  • slothboyadvance

    Posted Feb 11, 2009 1:54 am PT

    Here's a suggestion to Nintendo: Make real games. I'm saying that as a hardcore Nintendo fan. I understand that Wii Music and Animal Crossing are wanted by a certain demographic, but I still want the games that made Nintendo what it is today. I want a new Kid Icarus, the new Punch-Out, another F-Zero, and a new Star Fox (which hopefully brings the series back to it's roots).

    I'm not saying that Nintendo shouldn't release games like Wii Music. I think they'd be better off releasing a multitude of games rather than a couple games that appeal to one audience.

  • JackHoleFace00

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 6:33 pm PT

    Wait... you mean that two chintzy games that were panned by critics didn't sell well?? That's really odd.

    Seriously though, why is Nintendo surprised? Mario Kart was fun. It sold boat loads. These weren't fun (and didn't have familiar Nintendo mascots like Mario) and didn't sell. Get over yourself Nintendo--believe it or not, not everyone's lining up to buy every single piece of shovelware you spit out.

  • mastodonfatguy

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 3:35 pm PT

    @tidyspidey exactly!!! sum 1 who understands my problem with nintendo these days.... they achieved ultimate mega super stardom and forgot where they came from.
    nintendo WAT ABOUT YOUR REAL FANS?!!!!

  • dendae_2

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 3:18 pm PT

    I say lets be patient Nintendo yes they are not your friends they want your precious money they did say a new mario is coming our way as is a new zelda how will they trump twlight princess and mario galaxy remains a mystery but we can agree it will be great. Causual gaming is here to stay we can not deny this however we can embrace this. look at cooking navi a cook book at your finger tips etc etc etc.

  • BigBad95

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 3:10 pm PT

    Nintendo have shown their true colours and this just shows you that they are just as bad as Sony or Microsoft and all they want to do is sell and they don't care about the fans so none of the actual fans of Nintendo that supported them for 20 years are going to get any thanks from them because don't care

  • BigBad95

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 2:53 pm PT

    Why don't Nintendo release a new 2D Metroid game or get Sega working on a follow up to F-Zero, or an actual Donkey Kong adventure game but thats never going to happen so I don't see a point in even hopeing for it because its never going to happen. Instead all you get are boring casual games and Mario and Zelda games that don't even give you a challenge. Oh and one more thing why can Nintendo releasing their products worldwide at a decent time instead of waiting 2 months if your lucky after its released in Japan (if your lucky)

  • tidyspidey

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 2:34 pm PT

    @FoxExecutive - like it, "game enthusiast". Much better than "hardcore gamer". I have to use mouthwash just saying it! ha ha

    You're so right that many of us Nintendo fans demand more from them, and it's because we see what they're capable of. It makes it all the more frustrating when we see the generic stuff churned out time after time, and all Nintendo receive is praise for it which sends the wrong message to them. They don't seem as challenged as they once were - they need to accept their praise, move on and improve, not rest on their laurels.

    Correct on graphics too - graphics don't make a great game. Sure, they help immerse you, but they're not the be-all and end-all.... anyway - there are plenty of Wii games with fantastic graphics. Mario Galaxy is stunning, and although Wario Ware is 2D and simple for the most part, it is presented in such a pleasing way, I think it would actually be unfitting for it to be any more photo-realistic as seems to be the staple requirement of many a MS & Sony fanboy *rolls eyes* ha ha

    I have to say - this is about the first time i've come across so many well weighted comments with a news thread - it's normally "my console has a bigger johnson than your console..." etc etc....

  • FoxExecutive

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 1:09 pm PT

    @tidyspidey - Agree with you completely. I have been a long time Nintendo fan and I must say that a true fan of Nintendo will not just completely accept Nintendo for what it is and always demand more from the company we support.

    At least from this page, I see a lot of comments that are actual reasonable thoughts and not mindless defensive spiels about how the other console sucks for such and such reason and how Nintendo's console is just the greatest thing, which can certainly be found on other threads for other systems.

    In a way I don't think 3rd part developers do understand the Wii. I think this can be said about games that are made with pure gimmicks or just outright being ignored. The one argument I hate however is, "Oh that game wouldn't work on the Wii because the Wii couldn't handle the graphics!" That's an invalid argument. Toning down the graphics does not make it a bad game unless it is filled with glitches and bugs. In many cases this does happen, however that shows lack of effort on the developers part and not on the spirit of the game itself. I prefer the term "game enthusiast" because it doesn't paint the term of someone who sits at a computer or game console for 15 hours a day playing video games.

  • Justinian103

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 8:45 am PT

    What nintendo needs to understand is that casual gamers are just that,casual. They don`t really care about the industry, E3 or other trade shows, and don`t scan the internet for info, screenshots, and videos for up coming games they wait for months and years for. they will eventually move on to somthing else and nintendo will be a stick in the mud. I am a huge nintendo fan but the passed year except for SSBB this has been the most disappointing year for me with them, not to mention that embarrassment at E3 08. They better bounce back and do a complete 180 at E3 09.

  • Justinian103

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 8:40 am PT

    Squirrel, what are you tslking about with dead space coming out for the wii in 09. I like my wii but the system couldn`t handle one texture map from the dead space I know.

  • tidyspidey

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 2:12 am PT

    @gameking5000 - I agree that the casual crowd represents a much larger number of people than the 'core crowd, but again, to say that a game/several games are good based on their sales figures alone is misleading.

    I use the same example as before - the music industry. There are all manner of terrible, terrible "bands" out there that take up probably the top 20 slots in the charts around 90% of the time, and anyone with a real understanding of music will all agree that most of that music is just dross. And it is. The same applies to the Wii - just because a game sells well doesn't make it a good game. Case in point - Wii music selling 3.2 mil copies whilst a title like Dead Rising sells 1.5 mil or so? How wrong is that!?

    I'm not putting the Wii down completely as many do, infact I love my Wii as I've said many times before on here. But that doesn't mean I don't see problems when they're staring me in the face. The Wii is taking a route into gaming that is dumbing down the content of many games and making it easy for a developer to spend two minutes on a game to make big profits. I would never want to see all of these fun, content low games disappear, but for the same token, I don't want hundreds of the damn things clogging up the charts when Nintendo are capable of so much more. You only have to look at their tiny number of really great Wii games to see this.

  • gameking5000

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 2:04 am PT

    @tidyspidey

    I can that most of us being hardcore gamers is nor true. A much greater amount of people across a broader age group buy these games. Any game that sells well is a good game. After all they want it to SELL. In my opinion the Wii does have potential, BIG potential. But the games already released aren't bad.

  • pure_impact

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 1:15 am PT

    This is in response to cube-gage who said: "The Wii has nothing that anyone in the right mind would buy it for. " You obviously do not have siblings oe any kids of your own cube-gage because if you did, you would know that he wii has SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. Even if it's 1 game! The fact that people can pick it up and play so easily makes the thing sell itself. the fact that it is a nintendo product makes parents/adults feel safe about buying it for their kids/siblings, hell or even trying it out for themselves. And what's wrong with that? As much as i love shooters, sports and action titles, there will ALWAYS be space for a nintendo system in my home! Simple as that, so if you don't like what's out go play your xbox and stop hatin.

  • tidyspidey

    Posted Feb 10, 2009 12:52 am PT

    Before I start again in this section, let me just say that I do love my Wii - especially Wii sports and Mario Galaxy, both of which unite my family and in-laws like no other game system has ever done before it....

    However - I have criticised Nintendo in this thread already and still have more to say. Specifically - those who defend Nintendo by basically using the monetary success of the Wii (and DS) to assume that this means that their console is pretty much infallable. Wrong.

    It's the assumption that monetary success and sales figures = great games. That couldn't be further from the truth. Think about it - think about other industries where you can run some parallels... the music industry. Many (not all, I might add...) of the most successful artists out there who have massive sales figures are all those damn talentless boy and girl bands that anyone with a real sense of musical ability finds abhorrent - so does that mean that because these "bands" are successful that they're automatically the best and make the best music? No. The same applies to Nintendo.

    I hate to use a phrase as crass as "hardcore gamer", but the name fits the situation here.... many of us "hardcore gamers" (I can't say that without cringing, but anyway....) as well as industry insiders all see the same problem with the Wii. Generic games that take 2 minutes to make, but because the vast majority of Wii owners don't know what they're buying, these games sell by the bucket load and clog up the charts with misleading figures.... again - I hasten to point out, sales figures don't mean they're good games.....

    There are exceptions, yes - but a handful (literally, a handful!) of titles like Mario Galaxy, Zelda, Paper Mario etc just isn't enough. Nintendo are sacrificing potentially amazing games for their Wii in place of easily made profits. Money will come and go for Nintendo, but if they continue to ignore the 'core crowd, they'll learn a hard lesson.... probably not this console generation, but soon. Their DS leads a much better example of a range of fantastic games - they need to look at that more closely I think. The potential for the Wii is astounding, but all we're seeing is a huge number of uninspired games/wiimakes/new control schemes etc.

    I just hope that we see a turn around for the Wii in the next 12 months....

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