Why Wii is Winning: Dominant Software Sales

[famousringo]

Erik Aston said:

ZenfoldorVGI said:
It's getting a little late and I didn't read all that, but I'll go over why I think the Wii 1st party software sells well:

1. Userbase
2. 1st party consumer preference
3. Lack of choice
4. Marketing
5. Price
6. bundles
7. hype
8. quality
9. innovation
10. wise choice of genres
11. nostalgia
12. Trends/Fads

...that about covers Nintendo 1st party.

Nintendogs has sold 20m copies. It:

1. launched into less than 10m console base.
2. aimed at non-traditional customers with no preference.
3. has plenty of pet sim alternatives
4. had less marketing than many of their titles.
5. has a standard handheld game price.
6. has been offered in limited, optional bundles.
7. was bashed by the hardcore.
8. was high quality.
9. was based on an old concept and utilized old technology.
10. ... huh?
11. had no nostalgia factor.
12. "capitalized" on a trend/fad that had seemingly died 8 or 10 years earlier with Tamagotchi.

So that's 2 of 12 it qualifies for.

 

Maybe instead you should analyze how Nintendogs:

1. helped create the huge userbase.
2. helped create a 1st party preference among non-traditional audiences.
3. influenced all those pet sims to come out, even as it kept outselling them by millions.
4. was marketed virally by WOM initiatives.
5. was perceived to have value far exceeding its price.
6. was put into bundles because of its hardware-driving power.
7. reached the fever pitch of hype within non-traditional audiences years after launch.
8. succeeded in being a high-quality experience despite being Nintendo's first foray into a new genre.
9. used "lateral thinking of withered technology" instead of a sheer innovation focus.
10. ... again, what does this mean?
11. was a breakthrough hit at a time when all of Nintendo's traditional franchises were declining, and
12. created a major new trend/fad.

 

You've thrown out a long list of words, but it really does nothing to explain Nintendo's success.

 

I believe Zen was rattling off the reasons why Nintendo software in general sells well, not why a particular game sells well. So the highlighted point refers to Nintendo targeting diverse genres, underserved genres, genres ready to explode in popularity, or creating new genres altogether.

It's more of a shopping list of ways to successfully create and sell software. Not every game will hit every point, but the more it hits, the bigger it sells. Zen is suggesting that Nintendo is very good at hitting these points.