Introduced: E3 2005
Released: November 19, 2006
Format: CD / DVD
The Nintendo Wii (Codenamed Revolution) was first introduced at E3 2005 as the successor to the Gamecube. The Wii launched on November 19, 2006 in the USA and followed in other territories. It was the first Nintendo Console launch without a Mario title.
With its intuitive motion sensor controls, the Wii quickly became a worldwide phenomenon and emerged as the worldwide leader in home console sales. It is famed for featuring a mixture of traditional games and more accessible offerings for non-gamers.
Reggie: Wii games need to sell 1 million to turn a profit
Posted on March 30, 2009 by Alex Donaldson Speaking to the New York Times famed name-taking Nintendo executive Reggie Fils-Aime has said that the average Wii game has to sell a million units in order to turn a profit.In an article focused on the wider issue of bigger industry players struggling to make money, Reggie chimed in on why the Wii sofware can be more successful saying that while a Wii game needs to sell around 1 million copies to make a profit, that cost on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 is much higher.
The article notes that in spite of Reggie's claims, only 16 of 486 Wii games have actually sold a million copies, so either the number for a profit is much lower or many, many Wii games are failing to turn a profit.
Some of the 486 titles are also bound to be low-budget ports or shovelware, making the claim of a 1 million average to profit slightly strange in our eyes.
Reggie also went on record saying Nintendo decided to leave high-quality graphics and high definition support out of the Wii as they realized the cost to produce HD-era games wouldn't prove cost effective.
Check out the full article which chats to even more gaming executives on the NY Times Website.
