Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata believes the fate of a video game system can be “influenced greatly” by a single game. The company’s president has addressed investors concerns in a Q & A session following the investor briefing last week. In a three-page translation uploaded today, Iwata has confirmed Nintendo will strive to deliver consumer satisfaction before announcing new hardware, but that it will also focus on achieving its conservative forecasts for the Wii U and 3DS.
The modest goals put in place by Nintendo is not because of falling sales, but rather what the company feels it can confidently achieve for the next fiscal year. Though a release for Mario Kart 8 is just a few weeks away and Super Smash Bros is due to launch this winter, Iwata has said the company would prefer to keep with its original conservative figures, rather than release optimistic ones. He concludes by assuring investors that he does not believe 3.60 million Wii U consoles is the peak of its life cycle.
“In order to recreate momentum and sell 5.00 million or 10.00 million units of hardware annually, there are indeed challenges that we must overcome. And in the face of these challenges, announcing more optimistic figures before we actually release the Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. titles to consumers, would not be compatible with our original stance to provide rather conservative figures, so once again we set our estimates by considering how much we could realistically hope to achieve with our software lineup.
“The fate of a video game system is often influenced greatly by the introduction of a single title. As many of you probably remember, before the release of the Pokémon game, Game Boy had been showing slow growth, and many people wondered whether it was the end of Game Boy. But the Pokémon game single-handedly changed the landscape of the system, which then started to show the strongest sales in the lifecycle of the system.
“On the other hand, we do not believe that this year’s estimate of 3.60 million units of Wii U hardware will be the peak of its lifecycle, and we would like to work hard to make sure that we give sufficient momentum to the system so that we can expect good results in and after the next fiscal year, too. However, as for this fiscal year, as I explained before, the figures you see have been determined by rather conservative estimates.”
He’s wrong. With such a bad philosophy as the Wii U, you need around 3 to 5 extreme hits so it would stop being a joke matter.
PSP was completly down until Monster Hunter became a hit, but it wasn’t a bad console to start with, it was just regular. Wii U is in a much worse position, so just one spectacular game can’t save it
PSP hardly sold… Wii U actually sold…
PSP sold exceptionally well.
Vita is the one that’s struggling. More so than the Wii U.
While not exactly 1 game can make a difference its true that a few on the bounce can indefinitely change a consoles fortunes, you need only look at the 3DS for proof.
3DS is not doing good
How is 34 million sold not doing good?
Just under 43 million at the moment actually.
I stand corrected.
It’ doing well, it’s just not doing “exceptionally” well.
Xbot, go home…
Tru dat
don’t comment here, you don’t have a wii u
“Fucking Donko” = Likes to have sex with Donkeys.
Take your beastiality elsewhere.
i don’t get how đonko is the same as donkey
43 million consoles sold. The 3DS is breaking that 50 million console mark in a few months and it is remarkable. Stop being ignorant please.
Actually, one game can make a huge difference. Look at 3D Land.
Actually he’s right…and the 3ds is another example. This is not the first time they dealt with this, all they need a one good game and people will flock to it no matter how terrible shape the game system is in…PSP did the same too I believe.
This was excluded from what Iwata originally said:
“As I explained back in January, it is true that we cannot draw up a good business plan for Wii U by assuming that Wii U will sell more than Wii did. Therefore, we will need to think very carefully about the balance of revenue and expenses and try to operate by controlling overall costs.”
Those words go inbetween the two quotes shown by MNN. It’s adds important insight that you missed and MNN missed(on purpose).
^…inbetween the ^*last two qoutes…
Iwata has a long run of bad predictions already.
a price cut would help far more than a hit game … PERIOD
WiiU should be $169.99 with NO GAME and NO GAMEPAD
no gamepad? then how the fuck do you expect us to use the damn thing almost all the apps AND the setting are gamepad mandatory
ever use game genie? … D-Pad and screen cursor.
i would suggest NO DISC DRIVE too … the eShop could prevent you from purchasing games which require the gamepad … DL-Updates would fix the games to not require the darn thing.
press [Whatever] button to toggle between gamepad-screen and tv-screen … boom! … fixed.
be fair with me, the gamepad was never needed … it has never been possible to look at the gamepad-screen and tv-screen at the same time … you move your neck to toggle between the 2 … easier to press a button and give your neck a rest.
Damn, you want to send us back to the stone ages. NO THANKS.
Lol! True that.
Microsoft going to do it … Sony’s already doing it … make the gimmick optional
and, nintendo is already doing it … you act like they didn’t release the 2DS
Microsoft is doing it because their Kinect is holding the Xbone back. The people complaining about the Gamepad are actually a minority, a very loud & vocal minority, but a minority none the less. The Xbone’s Kinect, on the other hand…
the minority you speak of? … they’re called “the 3rd party developers”
they don’t want to tweak their games to be required to utilize a 2nd screen when most game experiences do not require a 2nd screen.
also, you’re talking about people who purchased the WiiU … why don’t you turn your head and look at the vast numbers of people who have not purchased the WiiU … lets make it cheaper for them to start.
i wouldn’t give a 6 year old a WiiU also … they’d drop it … i dropped my NES and SNES controller all the time … i got my NES when i was 5.
trust me … the poor sales suggest i’m right no matter what argument is put towards me … PS4 was pre-ordered … this was before the reviews … this was before a lot of games … so what’s stopping people from buying the WiiU now? … they already know Mario Kart and Smash Bros. is coming … you say they’re going to wait but they couldn’t wait for PS4?
they need a WiiU Lite … the DS Lite ditched the GBA port … you gotta cut features … half the cost is in a feature people aren’t thrilled about, sorry. if they were, they’d be lining up.
Well there is the Pro controller if a 3rd party doesn’t want to use the Gamepad. No one is pointing a gun to their head & telling them to make their game use the Gamepad. As for people holding off on a Wii U, enjoy ignoring the fact there isn’t a decent stream of new games that interest people that come out on a regular basis. But by all means, defend the 3rd parties that are using a bunch of a excuses to support the Wii U. And you’re nuts if you really believe Nintendo should drop the Wii U’s price to around 170 bucks. The drop from 350 to 300 was good enough of a drop. Anymore price cuts this early is a stupid move.
bunch of a excuses to not support the Wii U.*
so you’re solution to the issue of the WiiU being too expensive is to solve it by purchasing additional hardware?
they why not purchase the gamepad as additional hardware too?
also, i respect your views … but you flat-out are misinformed if you think you can get licensing to publish a game on the WiiU without going over terms and conditions which specify the gamepad … that IS the problem … nintend offering licensing deals (free licensing) if developers make exclusive games which utilize the gamepad … ubisoft took this deal, lost a lot of money … A LOT OF MONEY … and decided to start porting their games to other systems and defaulting on the licensing fees to nintendo’s objection.
No it would not and you know it, quit trying to believe Mario is going to 3rd party.
First
Our Lord keeps counter-attacking those Titans!
And he is right…
Mario Kart 8 will be the dawn of the Wii U revival…
And suddenly, people will take this out of context without reading the entire quote—which isn’t on here—but just the title.
Great.
Mario Kart! You are the Wii U’s only hope!
Not really sure about Smash, since the 3DS version will be out first.
I’m really curious to see where they go with this NFC idea. It seems like they have something that will be better than skylanders and disney infinity from a pure value standpoint. If they give these figurines content that can be used in first party games on the 3ds and wii u throughout this console generation, they will make disney and activision look like the greedy bastards that they are.
The obvious heavy hitters are Mario Kart 8, Smash U, and of course Zelda U. If they can do something creative with the NFC tech, possibly playing hand in hand with Miyamoto’s new IP, they may actually be able to turn this shipwreck into something worth while!
Mk8 will sell 15 million by 2016
And the 3ds is winning the console war right now.
The sad thing is the 3DS isn’t even a console. xD
It is a handheld console :).
LMFAO!!!Yeah just like Super Mario 3D World saved the Wii U Iwata?LMFAO!!!
This guy is the reason Nintendo is failing, basing the life on a 6 year old console on 1 great game?PMSL!!
That is the most pathetic thing I have ever heard!!
Iwata bragged last year that Super Mario 3d World would be the game that saves the Wii U……..and then it bombed big time and did not save the Wii U!!
Mario Kart 8 will sell a lot but again it will not single handedly save the Wii U.
How the hell can Iwats think that just ONE game will turn everything around for the Wii U when the Wii U has ZERO 3rd party?
NO ONE will pay $300 just to have a great game and no 3rd party to fill in the gaps!
Gonna be hilarious when Mario Kart does not save the Wii U and Iwata will then brag wait till Smash, wait till Zelda!
Speak for yourself. The people preordering the Wii U+Mario Kart 8 bundle sure is a lot of no ones.
You are asshole. PLAIN AND SIMPLE……….
and a wrong one at that…meaning he’s like any other dipshit who thinks Nintendo will go third party and he’s living a false fantasy of playing a Mario game on either playstation or xbox.
If the day comes, I want Nintendo to take their franchises & bury them for all time. I’ll miss my Zelda, Metroid, Star Fox, Mario, & Pikmin, but the video game world needs to be taught a lesson about respect for the company that saved this industry. And when it crashes again, they’ll look up to Nintendo & scream “Save us!” And I actually hope Nintendo whispers “No.” Then we go a few years in the Video Game Crash Post-Apocalypse Era as Nintendo resurfaces & saves the video game industry once more. And this post was brought to you by a guy that doesn’t know a damn thing about being an analyst like another guy we know of. xD
Iwata isn’t claiming anything.
He’s just reminding the investor(who asked a question) a single game can influence and improve sales (we’ve seen it many times), but they are setting a more realistic goal (preparing for a bad scenario), even with MK and SSB. Hence, the conservative 3.6m estimates and well as balancing revenue and expenses.
This, why the fuck can’t people read?!
No it cannot.
Mario Kart, Smash Bros. , Zelda U, Metroid U, Pokkén Fighters. THE WII U IS ON IT’S WAY BACK!
Plus it already had 3D world.
If anything can turn the Wii U around, it’s definitely Mario Kart 8. The people that didn’t buy the Wii U till now will have some nice games to get while they wait for the next big game after Mario Kart 8 releases like Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze, Wonderful 101, etc.
MK8 is why people will buy the console. But the wii U does not have a Bad library. On average people buy 10 to 20 games per system we are talking about average player not hardcore or casual.
I have the feeling games like zombie U or wonderful 101 will see an increase of sale cause people will catch up. Super Mario Wii u is still very expensive (£40). Ubisoft will also see an increase of software since people will buy watch dog.
Personally I far prefer to have 30 great games then 100 good games.
I see your point, but those 100 good games will also gain consimers, so while you may want the great 30, that 100 still has a large influence.
I like hardcore casual, that is their true nature, the Madden/fifa/Cod crowd lol.
Relying on one game to boost sales?
(Facepalm)
You must be new to the gaming world. It’s happened countless times in the past, so don’t count the power of one great game out.
People seriously don’t think that a single game can save a console? We’ve already seen it before with Pokemon on GB, Halo on Xbox, and MH on PSP.
Don’t forget the game that turned everything around for the 3DS.
Pingback: Satoru iwata claims a single game can greatly influence wii u’s sales
That’s an awful lot of trust just for one game. I don’t think Iwata realizes the gravity of the situation of Wii U failing just yet. Iwata needs to get third party support for Wii U and get those first party games out that gamers actually want.
No, Iwata is well aware of how bad a situation WiiU is in. It is MyNintendoNews who are making claims and stretching what Iwata said.
Also, it’s not one game it’s two games, MK & SSB, but even with those two big games, Nintendo is being conservative with low a forecast of 3.6m and preparing for low sales by saying they’ll be careful to “balancing revenue and expenses” just in case things don’t work out. Those don’t sound like “lot of trust” and far from “don’t realize the gravity of the situation”.
Mario Kart 8 won’t save the U. Smash Bros AND Mario Kart will do the job though.
No it can’t, and if he believes so he needs to be fired.
You must be new to the video game industry. Just one game CAN save a console. Hell! The original Donkey Kong game with Jumpman, before he became known as Mario, saved the entire video game industry. Don’t underestimate the draw of a good game.
Actually, Donkey Kong did not save the gaming industry; as it was released into arcades around 1981, around the golden age of arcade gaming. I’m assuming you meant Super Mario Brothers for the NES, which did, in fact, help revive the gaming industry in the U.S. after the crash of ’83-’84. But alas, times are different now. Back when the original Super Mario Brothers came out in the U.S. , the market was flooded with very low quality titles, as in the “Atari Age” anyone could publish a game; there was no “Official Atari/Mattel/Coleco/etc. Seal of Quality”. Any bloke who had a knowledge of programming for a system and connections with the industry could publish a game. Mario Kart 8 will not “save” the Wii U. There are tons of other worthwhile games out there, most of which will be or have skipped over the Wii U. The Wii U is doomed, we have reached a point of no return with the poor console. Nintendo can keep on trying and trying, but the system can’t be saved without a miracle; and even then, things are looking especially bleak right now. Everyone said Mario 3D World would “save” the Wii U; and look what happened with that! It’s practically the worst-selling (3D) Mario game!
Pfft…
…Yeah right, nothing can save the Wii U now, it’s screwed. I mean, there’s barely any exciting and “mainstream” games on it. Nintendo should just throw in the towel and focus on their handhelds, as that’s what they do well; I mean, it’s kind of sad that all of the 3DS upcoming titles, even from Nintendo, is bigger and better than the Wii U in every single way. As for people saying “Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. will save the Wii U!”, they are terribly mistaken. Do you think someone will want to spend $300+ for that brand new Mario Kart 8 when they can just stick to Mario Kart 7? Will a gamer want to spend $300+ for a console version of Super Smash Brothers 4 when they could stick to the cheaper and superior 3DS version WHICH IS BEING RELEASED FIRST. Nintendo needs to realize the Wii U, sales-wise, is one of the worst things to happen to them since the Virtual Boy; there’s no hope left. There is no chance of a “revival”, as most major third-party developers have moved on to more popular, more powerful hardware; which is a shame, as I once thought the Wii U had tons of potential. Nintendo needs to wake up and smell the coffee, the Wii U is completely screwed; I mean 3.6 million units are predicted to sell? So much for “Oh, one game can influence a systems sales greatly!”. And no, I’m not trying to say that he’s solely saying the Wii U will sell like hotcakes because of Mario Kart 8; I’m just pointing out the reality of the situation.
Oh really? Well if the PS3 can go nearly 3 bad years & survive into the 8th gen, the Wii U isn’t out just yet either. You people should really quit underestimating Nintendo’s 1st party titles. Whether people like it or not, Nintendo’s 1st party titles are some of the highest quality games ever made. Why is that? Because their games actually come out fully complete with maybe 1 glitch every couple 10 games. Can’t say the same for a lot of yearly released games like Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed. The Wii U isn’t going anywhere since the PS4 & Xbox One aren’t fairing any better. The Xbox One has less systems sold than the Wii U with the PS4 ahead of Wii U by 3-5 million. Yes. The Wii U is sooo doomed.
Most “major” titles are skipping over the Wii U; single-party support alone will not save the system.
We’ll still have Capcom, Sega, & possibly Tecmo Koei supporting the Wii U with exclusives. Not to mention Nintendo will still support it with their best 1st party titles. So it will be saved just nicely even if it ends up just being another Gamecube.
We aren’t seeing many “must-have exclusives” from them, now are we?
Also, this article confirms everything I’ve been saying about Mario Kart 8 this whole time. If you don’t think Wii U is a sinking ship by now, I don’t know what will convince you it is.
http://mynintendonews.com/2014/05/15/polygon-says-mario-kart-8-will-likely-be-the-worst-selling-game-in-franchise-history/
oh please Iwata, the Wii U was already dead when it came out…
Pingback: Ubisoft CEO Reiterates Stance On Wii U Price Drop, Says “Right Price” Could Elevate Sales | My Nintendo News
Pingback: Is ‘Mario Kart 8’ the Wii U’s killer app?