It almost feels like a more accurate title for this article would have been, Nintendo Details World Domination Plans, because that is what they have been doing to the video game industry lately. In order to quell concerns about limited Wii and Wii Fit supply, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, sat down for an exclusive interview with the LA Times.
The Regginator started out the interview by mentioning that Nintendo had yet to see any significant effect from the decline in the global economy. In fact, the numbers told quite a different story, with Wii sales performing 70% better than last year at this time. When you combine these numbers with the already obscene sales of the Nintendo DS, you can begin see a perfect storm scenario brewing around Nintendo’s holiday line up.
When directly questioned about whether we will see the same Wii shortages that saw last winter, he was quoted as saying:
“Nintendo has continually raised the production levels of the Wii hardware. We’re now producing 2.4 million units a month worldwide. Last year, we made 1.6 million a month. So we’ve made a 33% increase. One of our competitors projects they will sell 10 million consoles worldwide this year. For us, that’s three months of production. We’re producing an unprecedented level of hardware to try to meet demand.” — Reggie Fils-Aime
This will also be met with an increased production of Wii Fit bundles, so as to best cash in on the masses looking to put everybody’s favorite portly plumber under their Christmas tree. Before letting Reggie off of the hot seat, he was asked the question that every soccer mom wants to know, How can you get your hands on a Wii this holiday season?
“Look at retailer circulars. Go to their websites. We’re flowing products into stores on a very regular basis. Once you see it on the shelf, you ought to buy it. While we’re bringing 50% higher level of supply into the market this holiday, we don’t know if the demand will be even higher than that.” — Reggie Fils-Aime
Call me crazy, but I find it hard to believe that after two years, Nintendo has yet to find a way to produce more Wiis. In all reality, I would have to agree with conspiracy theorists that are saying that this is a deliberate attempt to limit the supply, to maximize profits for The Big N. The number of times that I have seen a Wii on a store shelf could be counted on a single hand, which to me doesn’t add up. America, Nintendo has us by the proverbial cohones and they are laughing all the way to the bank.
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