Author Topic: Packaging Wii Sports- Not Good For Software Sales. (Read 3370 times)

patriotsfan93 · « **on:** November 22, 2007, 04:47:27 PM »

Overall, I know many people who have bought the Nintendo Wii as a casual gaming system because they themselves are casual gamers. However, most of them have maybe bought only 1 or 2 titles because all they really care about Wii Sports. Now while Wii Sports did essentially sell the Wii because the game is so intuitive and easy to pick up and play, it has also stopped many casual Wii players from going out and buying games that they normally would of.

For example, most of my casual gaming friends, turn on the Wii every couple of weeks or so, unlike more hardcore gamers who turn it on at least once a week. And while hardcore gamers get bored with games after a while because they play them more often, casual gamers don't because they don't play the system as often and Wii sports fills there appetite.

So if Nintendo had not included Wii Sports, perhaps casual gamers would of been more open to try out and most likely buy different games. And to be honest there are a lot of lame ports that casual gamers would of picked up played for a while but because of poor gameplay with the Wiimote would of either sold the title bought a new one or bought a new title altogether. Now while you may be thinking people would of just bought Wii Sports anyways instead of buying and trying out all these different titles, when casual gamers are looking at all the games placed on the racks they really don't know which title is best and if they should for instance buy Wii Sports or not compared to a lame port.

Just a thought. I know if Wii Sports hadn't been included in many of my friends Wii's they would of bought more games to find one that they really like.

NWR_insanolord · « **Reply #1 on:** November 22, 2007, 04:59:19 PM »

The Wii wouldn't have sold this well without Wii Sports as a pack-in. And the casual gamers who bought one and got one of the lame ports you mentioned probably wouldn't have gone back and gotten something else, they probably would have given up on the Wii and had negative opinions of it which they would have shared with other potential Wii owners who might then decide against it.

GoldenPhoenix · « **Reply #2 on:** November 22, 2007, 05:43:53 PM »

Wii sports was a brilliant idea by Nintendo, the game helped to represent the Wii. It was the Mario 64 or SMB of the Wii, in that it was the game people wanted, and needed a Wii for. To not include it would have more than likely hurt sales and yes, confuse casual buyers who are sometimes uniformed about what is or is not good. One thing a good business realizes is that people's first impressions are the most important, ESPECIALLY for something that brings a brand new take on gaming, and for the Wii that HAD to be Wii Sports as a buyer's frst taste in gaming for the Wii. To say that Wii Sports hurt sales of other game is ludicrous as well, because we've seen a myriad of other casual games that have sold very well. These being Wii Play, WarioWare, and even Carnival Games.

Mario · « **Reply #3 on:** November 22, 2007, 06:52:32 PM »

I think it's more likely those people who only play Wii Sports wouldn't have bought it at all without it

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #4 on:** November 22, 2007, 07:42:40 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Mario
I think it's more likely those people who only play Wii Sports wouldn't have bought it at all without it

I agree. Also, casual gamers don't buy lots of games anyway. True that many people bought a Wii and not any games to go with it, but a very large percentage of them wouldn't have ever bought the Wii if it weren't for Wii Sports.

Since Nintendo is profiting from the hardware they don't care so much if no one buys more games for it.

But anyways, I think Wii Fit will be the next big thing that will get the casual gamers to open their wallets once again.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #5 on:** November 22, 2007, 09:10:44 PM »

I've said it often enough: Wii Sports was critical to give people a good first impression with the Wii controls! If it wasn't there then ignorant people would buy some half-assed movie tie-in or halfassed port and think it's Nintendo's fault that the controls don't work. Wii Sports is there to show people that yes, the controls DO work, if a game is unplayable that's the game's fault!

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #6 on:** November 22, 2007, 09:59:13 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
I've said it often enough: Wii Sports was critical to give people a good first impression with the Wii controls! If it wasn't there then ignorant people would buy some half-assed movie tie-in or halfassed port and think it's Nintendo's fault that the controls don't work. Wii Sports is there to show people that yes, the controls DO work, if a game is unplayable that's the game's fault!

Yes, you are right. Plus I am really glad that Nintendo is packing games in with their consoles again. Most people will want to get an additional game or two when they buy a Wii, but it is also nice that it has a game with it. Especially when that game is a perfect demonstration of the innovative capabilities of the Wii-mote.

The only other game which does this right now is Wii Play, and I think this is also helping the Wii in a big way. Let's not forget the Crossbow game and the Fitness one as well....

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #7 on:** November 22, 2007, 11:19:52 PM »

Packing in Super Mario Bros. with the NES resulted in no other games selling on the system. As a result Nintendo was the only company to make games for the NES, everyone else went to the Master Syst-oh wait the Master System had Hang-On/secret Snail Game built in! The market never recovered from the video game crash!

Kairon · « **Reply #8 on:** November 23, 2007, 05:49:57 AM »

Definitely consumers appetities for additional purchases are sated with Wii Sports being packed in. But let's be serious here... Wii Sports is a killer app. And Nintendo needed a Killer App this generation fo people to pay attention o them again. Wii Sports may have hurt a little, but it's helped a TON.

Chozo Ghost · « **Reply #9 on:** November 23, 2007, 07:10:18 AM »

It could have been worse - at least Nintendo didn't use the Spider-man movie as its pack in.

Maybe this spiderman 3 bundle explains why the PS3 is failing? Apparently PS3 purchasers were satisfied with the spiderman 3 disc and didn't feel a need to buy anything further, and that is why third parties are now abandoning that system.

Smash_Brother · « **Reply #10 on:** November 23, 2007, 07:21:55 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Infernal Monkey
Packing in Super Mario Bros. with the NES resulted in no other games selling on the system. As a result Nintendo was the only company to make games for the NES, everyone else went to the Master Syst-oh wait the Master System had Hang-On/secret Snail Game built in! The market never recovered from the video game crash!

His point isn't that pack-ins are bad, it's that Wii Sports is a draw to the type of gamer who doesn't buy many games and he's semi-right.

Kairon · « **Reply #11 on:** November 23, 2007, 08:56:22 AM »

It's important to draw the sort of gamer who doesn't buy many games. That's the gamer who made the PS2 successful.

KDR_11k · « **Reply #12 on:** November 23, 2007, 08:37:23 PM »

Once someone has paid the 250$ for the console the barrier to sell them on another game is down to 50$ instead of 300$.

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #13 on:** November 24, 2007, 02:30:31 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Smash_Brother

His point isn't that pack-ins are bad, it's that Wii Sports is a draw to the type of gamer who doesn't buy many games and he's semi-right.

But what does this mean? Nothing, really. Sony has had SingStar PS2 bundles for years now (PAL), and there are bazillions of people that just buy the system for that, then sit around and wait for the next SingStar games. It means crap all. If these things weren't packed in, they wouldn't buy the system at all. Third parties don't suffer from losing sales they never would have gotten in the first place.

ShyGuy · « **Reply #14 on:** November 24, 2007, 07:38:40 PM »

Infernal is exactly right. Microsoft and Sony would kill to have Nintendo's "problem."

vudu · « **Reply #15 on:** November 25, 2007, 08:28:27 AM »

It's only a "problem" if you sell your hardware at a loss.

Smash_Brother · « **Reply #16 on:** November 25, 2007, 03:56:48 PM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Infernal Monkey Third parties don't suffer from losing sales they never would have gotten in the first place.

I didn't mean that 3rd parties are suffering, but there's a point where a dev needs to evaluate which console will make them the most money to develop for.

The more consoles Nintendo sells, obviously the higher the potential userbase, but the numbers aren't black and white when I know personally that I've delivered Wiis into homes which likely won't buy another game past Wii Sports for a long while.

But I think it's a self-correcting problem: more "hardcore" Wii games are showing up all the time, making the console more of a gamer's console. I agree that the universal appeal can only help, but right now, we do tend to see more "gamer" games no doing as well as they should be, like Mario Galaxy in Japan.

Kairon · « **Reply #17 on:** November 25, 2007, 04:03:01 PM »

Japan is a whole different thing S_B, and I don't think ANY hardcore games are doing fine there at all.

NinGurl69 *huggles · « **Reply #18 on:** November 25, 2007, 04:09:36 PM »

Nintendo secured Monster Hunter for Wii so that they could destroy the last bastion of hardcore gaming Japan could look forward to.

It was planned by Nintendo all along.

ThePerm · « **Reply #19 on:** November 26, 2007, 03:20:38 AM »

upon the several people iv showed the Wii

wow, you know iv never tried the wii yet.

looking at the controller...."is that the wii?"

me "its the controller"

"so is there like a tower for it?"

i point nxt to my tv, the wii is so small its barely noticeable next to my tv.

"oh"

we start playing bowling my favorite wii sports game

"wow, this is fun. How much are these? "

"250"

"wow thats sounds like a pretty good investment"

Basically wii sports sales the system

A friend of mine works at Sams Club and tells me that the most people that come in and ask for the wii are old people

"wheres that Wi ey sytem, or whats that Y system" "you mean Wii(we)?" "yeah thats it"

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Author Topic: Packaging Wii Sports- Not Good For Software Sales. (Read 3370 times)