Shaun White Takes Wii by Storm

The Balance Board-compatible shredder is off to an excellent sales start.

by Matt Casamassina

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January 26, 2009 - Third-party publisher Ubisoft has found a success story in the Wii-exclusive stunt racer Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip. The title, one of the first to capitalize on Nintendo's Balance Board peripheral (now used by more than 4.5 million Wii Fit owners), sold to 470,000 gamers in North America through December of last year, according to data released to IGN by the NPD Group. Good numbers by any tally, but they are all the more impressive when you consider that Road Trip released on November 16 and therefore amassed nearly 500,000 in sales in about a month and a half.

"The success of Shaun White Snowboarding is a significant milestone for Ubisoft," said Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ubisoft, when called for comment. "As the company's first foray in the action sports genre and our first franchise tied to a professional athlete, we are delighted to see the game performing well. Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip for Wii has been particularly popular among consumers as the game is compatible with the Wii Balance Board allowing players to simulate the snowboarding experience and be physically thrust into the action."

Although some analysts have suggested that the Wii Balance Board is a one-trick pony, destined for obscurity as soon as the novelty of Wii Fit wears thin, this new data certainly suggests otherwise – undoubtedly to the delight of Ubisoft. If sales of the 8.4-rated Road Trip keep up, the title will before mid-year surpass Red Steel and Rayman Raving Rabbids to become the third-party's most lucrative Wii franchise.

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This following news that THQ is pleased with sales of the de Blob.  It's great to see this type of 3rd party success.

We have it at 500k in the Americas as of January 10th. So we might even be undertracking it just slightly.

cool, soon it will be a million seller

very nice, i am getting de blob this week sometime. will check into shaun white tomorrow, my friend has a copy for the wii.

Not bad sales for a pretty good game. I'd buy it myself, if I could find a Balance Board...

That's the only thing stopping me from getting it.  Wonder when Nintendo will decide to sell the balance board seperately...  Until then, I'll remain content with SSX Blur - that game's awesome.

It's way fun, and as easy to show off to friends & family as Wii Sports. Whenever people see it they *have* to try it.

Strange, this is the same number VGChartz put out (473,000 for the Americas).