Nintendo Media Summit: Reggie Speaks
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime kicked off the company's media summit here in Seattle this morning with a speech that ran down the company's successes with Wii and DS in 2007 thus far.
"How are you guys doing? I'm doin' great," he began. Since this is the first major address that Nintendo has made to the assembled press since Wii's success, there was a lot for him to be happy about. He began by pointing out that in the history of video games in the US, only one company has ever been the #1 manufacturer of game hardware, portables, software, and the owner of the most popular game, and that was Nintendo in the 1980's -- and now they've done it again.
Some interesting facts, figures, and quotes after the jump.
In Japan, more than half of all games sold were for Nintendo DS.
Typically, about half of home consoles in Japan are placed in the living room -- with Wii that figure is 75%.
In France, 15 of the top 15 games recently were Nintendo.
In the US, Fils-Aime says they are seeing "early signs of significant market change."
The number of female purchasers of hardware are up 42%.
The number of people over age of 30 purchasing Nintendo DS is up 127%.
Tighten that age range to people over 35, and the number is up 212#.
40% of Wii owners have connected to the internet.
3.3 million plus Virtual Console downloads.
Nintendogs has been in the Top 25 games in the US for the 21 months since its launch. Brain Age is showing similar "legs." = top 25 for 21+ months
"Games that appeal to a wider audience can stay on best seller lists indefinitely," says Fils-Aime.
They are seeing a "change in the perennial post-holiday time period. Everyone knows that more than half of our revenues are generated in November and December, and software sales go in the doldrums in the next quarter after the holidays."
"We believe that as the market widens we shouldn't be so dependent on the holidays," Fils-Aime says.
For the last two Christmas seasons, sales of Nintendo DS in the three months after the holidays have been 35% of holiday sales. But this year, it's at 49% -- "and that's with DS being essentially out of stock in January," said Fils-Aime.
"We don't consider Sony and Microsoft as our only competitors. We're competing with other leisure time entertainment. If people stay at home and play wii bowling instead of going to the movies, we win."
"We're not for one group or the other -- we're for the expanded audience and the core. It's difficult when you launch a stellar game to differentiate between the two."
Third party development is "moving enthusiastically towards Wii." Third parties have sold more Wii games than Nintendo, "contrary to popular belief."
Metroid Prime 3 Corruption "will reinvent the control scheme for a first person shooter. It's the closest you can get to PC control in a [console] game."
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