http://www.itrgames.com/article.php?oid=65278&usermail=%3Cuser_name%3E
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“The Wii console is pulverizing the records of sales”, declares Stephan Bole, DG of Nintendo France. The sales figures of this first quarter 2007 have what to make smile the director general of the company and the results are without call, Nintendo dominates the play.
It is not less than 260.000 specimens from the Nintendo DS which were sold in these the first three months, and 144.000 with regard to Wii. In mid-May, the sales of DS reach 398.000 specimens and those of Wii, the 230.000 parts. The installed base of DS reaches 2,54 million units and that of Wii the 410.000 parts. First with the classification of the sales, the creator of Mario explains these results by a strategy which aims at attracting a large audience, with more user-friendliness, more intuitivity and more femininity. These consoles are addressed to the players of any age and any sex. According to Stephan Bole, the disappointing figures that Sony and Microsoft recorded these last months are explained by their obstinacy “to be locked up on the niche of young adult/male teenager technophile and core gamer”. Nintendo thus wishes to make fall the barriers drawn up between the most fanatic beginners and in order to make them play together on titles like Wii Sports for example, and this, without forget the gamers with plays like Final Fantasy 3 on Nintendo DS, or Zelda Twilight Princess, Dragonball Z on Wii.
With 43.000 Xbox 360 sold over the first quarter 2007, Microsoft seems to mark time compared to its competitors. With a console left here more than one year, the manufacturer would owe rebooster his sales, undoubtedly by a possible fall of the prices!
Sony which records for this first quarter 2007 of the sales of 92.000 specimens for console PS2, 90.000 for the PSP and 81.000 with regard to the PS3, seem to be satisfied with its results. The manufacturer enters a total of “263.000 sold machines” and asserts “62% of share of market on the hardware”, as well as a sales turnover of more than 60 million euros”.
“We are satisfied with these results during one working life considered as fairly favorable for our activity” declares George Fornay, president of the SCE France, before adding: “We will beat our records of sale over the year, at the same time in value and volume”. And for this reason, Sony put mainly on Playstation3 which is “the major stake of end of the year”, continues Nathalie Dacquin, Directrice Marketing of SCEE France. “As of September, of new licences such as Heavenly Sword or Uncharted Drake' S Fortune will be formidable ambassadors as well as possible illustrating the capacities of this console new generation”. On PSP the year will be remembered by the arrival of a varied range of plays (Socom, Smash Short Tennis, Pursuit Force, Loco Roco, WipeOut, Syphon Filter…) and of the innovations produced (camera, GPS…), Nathalie Dacquin continues. With regard to the PS2, in fact the products proposing “Social Gaming” will be with the honor thanks to licences like Buzz, Singstar and Eye Toy. But also of the plays for the gamers like God of War 2.
Second subsidiary company in Europe and fourth on a world level, Sony France hopes well to preserve its position… Various operations of partnership are installation right now the day before the summer holidays in order to contribute to it in France. “the PSP and the play Ratchet will be the high-speed motorboat in the Quick restaurants in August. Singstar Pop Hits which has a track listing to 90% French will be put in scene in various places of diffusion in concerts. A round of Hummers will make it possible the public to test the play Singstar Pop Hits”.
As for Nintendo, the manufacturer lays down a total world objective for the fiscal year amounting at 22 million consoles Nintendo DS and 130 million plays NDS (including the third editors). For Wii, the sales must reach the figure of 14 million consoles and 55 million Wii plays (including the third editors). Objectives which seemed up to now difficult to reach if one refers to the recent shortage of the game consoles Wii. “The Wii console is pulverizing the records of sales of a game console to launching. It is true in the USA, in Europe and in Japan. Each week in France and in the world, since the beginning of the year, Nintendo DS and Wii are the 2 most sold game consoles”, explains Stephan Bole. “We thus invested massively to increase our output on the two consoles these last weeks, and let us not hesitate to convey the consoles produced in China by plane to satisfy our customers more quickly. ” And even if the consumers still currently have a few days of waiting, the firm seems decided well so that the incident does not reproduce. It should be said that Europe exceeded the USA in terms of sales. France represents today between 21% and 25% of the European market and between 5% and 8% of the world market.
For this year, not of new console envisaged… But two launchings to come on Nintendo DS with Program from Cerebral Drive Advanced from Dr. Kawashima whose exit is envisaged on June 29 and Pokémon Perle and Diamond on July 27. The amateurs of Wii will profit as for them from the first play multijouor online Mario Strikers as well as Mario Party 8 in June 2007 and Cérébrale Academy in July. Many titles of the third editors will also come to be added to these large launchings.
To achieve his goals, each manufacturer will have to show originality to attract customers. Whereas Sony develop its program marketing through various operations of partnership around the PSP, with the play Ratchet which will be put in the high-speed motorboat in the Quick restaurants at August or Singstar Pop Hits which will be put in scene in various places of diffusion in concerts, Nintendo intensifies its program of animations on Wii 7 in addition to the support of the media. The demonstrations on Wii have impact enormously. On Nintendo DS, the launching of Program of advanced Cerebral Drive place will give to a campaign important and constant in the duration. In the same way for Pokémon Beads and Diamond whose program of pre-reservation will start at the beginning of June in store.
