Iwata: Wii's 2009 lineup allowed the 'mood' to 'cool'
by JC Fletcher 
{ Oct 30th 2009 at 12:15PM } 
Siliconera gathered up Nintendo's Wii lineup to illustrate Iwata's point. The first half of 2009, the period described by Nintendo's earnings report, was largely anchored by New Play Control GameCube ports. The second half of the year saw major sellers like Wii Fit Plus accompanied by somewhat niche titles like Endless Ocean 2 and Sin and Punishment 2 -- not that we're complaining about those games! But with New Super Mario Bros.and continued sales of Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort, it should look better than the first half.
It's likely that not even Nintendo wanted to get in the way of Monster Hunter 3, which did turn out to be a big success -- and one that helped Nintendo achieve the level of hardware sales it did, thanks to a bundle. However, with that out in August, it didn't factor into the first-half results.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Giroro @ Oct 30th 2009 12:20PM
Is Monster Hunter 3 coming to the US, because that is a Wii game I'm actually interested in buying. /i haven't bought a Wii game in ... awhile.
Protodude @ Oct 30th 2009 12:42PM
Yes, it's coming.
Mr. Fister @ Oct 30th 2009 2:03PM
Yup, it's getting released in the U.S. as Monster Hunter Tri, and it will be available sometime in March (hopefully.)
Uncontrol @ Oct 30th 2009 12:20PM
that's pretty refreshingly honest
Stix Remix @ Oct 30th 2009 12:36PM
Agreed. I'm glad there was no lame PR spin regarding this.
Rob S. @ Oct 30th 2009 2:55PM
There is one good thing you can say about Nintendo, they notice when things are wrong. It's the solving of the problem they seem to have trouble with, like not boosting third party developers enough. Hopefully this will teach them a lesson and they can grow from there.
Monica Dickey @ Oct 30th 2009 3:27PM
Yeah. I just hope they act on it now to match the honesty.
Ghen @ Oct 30th 2009 4:13PM
Very honest and very true with my personal experience. This year has been a complete bust for Wii games unfortunately.
t_m @ Oct 31st 2009 10:44PM
They notice when things are wrong... but they rarely move quickly to do much about it.
the Gamecube, the DS and the Wii have all had obvious flaws that were pointed out long long long ago, and were pretty easy to fix... yet they mostly still have the same flaws. Heck, most of the flaws of the Wii are the same as the ones the gamecube had.
Wii's a nice system, but it could have been great. And I think now it's a bit late to change it's course... (though it's on a pretty good money printing course... but with a little more care they could have got 3rd party sales to stack up too, and then it'd be on an unstoppable course.)
ChuckBartowski @ Oct 30th 2009 12:24PM
sounds like the money printer needs more ink. Black wii in U.S. could do the trick.
Fane [Grammar Police - Power Of Pedantry] @ Oct 31st 2009 6:03PM
I won't buy one until it comes in black...also, when the price is justified ($199 is close, but it doesn't come with a full set of controllers, including Wii Motion Plus, or component cables).
tmacairjordan87 @ Oct 30th 2009 12:27PM
Yeah if I would have had a wii for a while and was caught up on the lineup, then I know I would have been extremely disappointed with this year's games...as in there's hardly anything decent.
Luckily, I didn't have one so I'll have plenty to play until Galaxy 2 :)
Fullmetal Salchemist @ Oct 30th 2009 3:57PM
Yeah, if I still had a Wii, I'd probably be disappointed. I sold mine after I finished Punch-Out!!, though, so if the Wii has no games, what do I care?
Lonecow @ Oct 30th 2009 12:30PM
Damn you scared me for a second. I thought S&P 2 got released in the states already and I missed it.
NitroMikeo @ Oct 30th 2009 12:31PM
Is it just me that thinks it looks better in white?
Same with the Elite. Yeah, they look OK, but something just isn't quite right..
Gun Barrier @ Oct 30th 2009 12:31PM
I would have bought some new play control games if they weren't just sports games. Im still waiting for Pikmin 2 on the wii. A wii version of Zelda 4 swords that uses the DS wirelessly would also be a must buy.
Nintendo better have a good secret lineup next year.
MJGAMING @ Oct 30th 2009 12:33PM
Well I don't believe that it is only the game lineup. They haven't been bringing out new features to the Wii. I personally don't play the Wii as much because of no new features. Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 are getting new features all the time. But Nintendo hasn't. I have updated my system four times just to see the same 4.2 firmware on it with NO NEW FEATURES. If they would upgrade their friend system to show people what you are doing, bring out a video marketplace, bring out some new channels that keep people interested, demos, and a couple other small things then they will see a huge climb of sales. My friends have told me which one to buy, and I said for right now stay away from the Wii. I told them they can get better deals with the others. After the Wii starts some of these features I said above then I will start telling my friends to get a Wii. One feature on the list I am really looking for is the friend system. If they upgrade that then I definitely would tell my friends to get a Wii!!!
Mr Khan @ Oct 30th 2009 1:53PM
Memory limitations and such come into play here. Also the ground that i've tread before, that the friend code system is unalterable as of now, due to infrastructure problems and the fact that, if they changed the system, they would have to leave every single existing online game out in the cold.
Not trying to be an apologist, just saying that these aren't so much actions that Nintendo isn't taking, as actions that they can't take, given the hardware and infrastructure that they developed.
Scott @ Oct 30th 2009 2:07PM
I disagree. Seriously, who cares about features if you have really good games? I haven't done a single thing on my PS3 besides play Demon's Souls on it for the past two weeks. Using video marketplaces and playing demos are things you do on a console when you're bored--unless you're renting a movie for the night, but you don't need a console to do that.
If the Wii had fancy features, I'd spend maybe 2 minutes looking at those and then return to my usual "ignore the wii" habits, since no game on the Wii appeals to me right now. Actually, when Wii Sports Resort came out, I plunked a lot of hours into table tennis. That was some fun stuff.
sam @ Oct 30th 2009 7:33PM
True there's no new features, but the Nintendo Week thing is uh sort of new I guess? Yeah... okay... :)
Seriously I don't think features are a huge deal (nice yes, make up for lack of games no) BUT I agree it's annoying to keep downloading system updates which don't do anything visible. They need to stop trying to lock out pirates/homebrew until there's something cool to add on as well.
Henri made in ore @ Oct 30th 2009 12:34PM
BWAAH!IT PRINTSU MONEY!do not worrryyyy desu ka
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Oct 30th 2009 12:45PM
Hey, Joystiq. You forgot the /obvious tag.
Ian @ Oct 30th 2009 1:04PM
That strategy may have made some sense for Japan, but for the US they didn't even bother releasing Monster Hunter 3 (obviously it doesn't have the same presense in US but I would have bought it). Needless to say my interest in my Wii has 'cooled' and my desire to sell it has 'warmed'.
Giroro @ Oct 30th 2009 1:16PM
I've never sold a game or console In my life, but with the Wii .. . I've been considering it.
Vcize @ Oct 30th 2009 1:01PM
Wow, glad to see someone being honest in one of these things. Sony and MS could learn a lesson from this.
Unless of course, Sony really IS right on track with where they wanted to be with the PS3 all along and MS really hasn't lost any sales to the RROD debacle. Um...
WhatIsThatThing @ Oct 30th 2009 1:09PM
That's exactly what I said last year. But nooo, everyone was all, "it's a fad, the fad is over, Nintendo doesn't cater to the core gamer anymore, blah, blah, blah."
Of course, it took this long for Nintendo to come out and say that.
jekoln @ Oct 30th 2009 1:38PM
more like ice cold. or a witch's tit.
have we even heard of a new zelda or a real mario game in development?
Mr Khan @ Oct 30th 2009 1:50PM
Yes. We've heard of both. Where have you been?
jekoln @ Oct 30th 2009 1:52PM
for the wii? i know there's spirit tracks and that super mario brothers, but nothing along the lines of twilight princess or galaxy as far as i know.
Mr Khan @ Oct 30th 2009 2:01PM
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/miyamoto-zelda-wii-coming-in-2010-at-the-earliest/
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/02/super-mario-galaxy-2-shown-for-wii/
jekoln @ Oct 30th 2009 2:05PM
i completely forgot about those.
FantomRedux @ Oct 30th 2009 2:07PM
I'll be honest here. I lol'd
uncle jesse @ Oct 30th 2009 5:07PM
Boom! Roasted!
kid_ic @ Oct 30th 2009 1:55PM
The great thing about hearing Iwata at a meeting like this -- as opposed to hearing someone from NoA at Press Event -- is that he's refreshingly honest, w/ little PR spin.
If you read the Siliconera source list (or Nintendo's site, or Wikipedia) you will see they did release a large amount of games, just not a lot of blockbusters. It's also important to remember they published different titles in different regions.
So Japan got Sin & Punishment 2, that Takt/Wand of Magic RPG, Another Code R, NPC Pikmin 2, and NPC Chibi Robo, as well as Nintendo publishing Mario & Sonic: Winter Olympics there.
Wii Retail:
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis
New Play Control! Pikmin
Excitebots: Trick Racing (North America only)
New Play Control! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Punch-Out!!
Wii Sports Resort
Metroid Prime: Trilogy
Wii Fit Plus
New Play Control! Pikmin 2 (Japan, Europe and Australia only)
Another Code: R - A Journey into Lost Memories (Japan and Europe only)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Published by Nintendo in Japan only)
Tact of Magic (Japan Only)
New Play Control! Metroid Prime (Japan Only)
New Play Control! Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (Japan Only)
New Play Control! Chibi-Robo! (Japan Only)
WiiWare
Lonpos
Bonsai Barber
Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!
Rock N' Roll Climber
PictureBook Games: Pop-Up Pursuit
You, Me and the Cubes
Kimi to Boku to Rittai (Japan Only)
Asobu Made in Wario (Japan Only)
It's also relevant that the recently announced Japan-only Everyone's the Star on the NHK Quiz Battle, and PokéPark Wii have not yet hit retail. And most importantly, that Nintendo's biggest blockbuster for the Wii, New Super Mario Bros. is also yet to launch in any region...
Skaz @ Oct 30th 2009 2:11PM
You're not Fernando...
Dale @ Oct 30th 2009 3:24PM
That is an extremely lacklustre line-up. Remakes of GameCube games should not dominate a release schedule like that.
sam @ Oct 30th 2009 7:32PM
I really want Another Code :( Release that damnit...
kid_ic @ Oct 30th 2009 1:59PM
MJgaming, I do think you have a point about feature though. I'm hoping that they keep adding new channels, release a Western version of Wii no Ma, add more DSi compatibility, and that the Netflix rumor (or something comparable) comes to light. It would definitely help, though I think that Iwata is right -- it's the games that are gonna have the biggest impact.
Next year, I expect Nintendo to up their game w/ the new LoZ (if we're lucky), Sin & Punishment 2 and Endless Ocean 2 hitting the West, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid: The Other M, perhaps some of the long rumored gems like Kirby Wii and Pikmin 3, and just as importantly -- for the expanded audience -- a new entry in the Wii/Wuuhuu Island series (based on Miyamotos comments), and a Vitality Sensor launch game.
I'd say it's also a safe bet to expect the following, at least in the East: Kensax, Cosmic Walker, Span Smasher, Dynamic Slash, Line Attack Heroes. If Nintendo can deliver on even half of that list in '10, then I think the Wii will have a robust year! Next year it will also have been an unbelievable 4 years since Nintendo and Hudson pulled out their best-selling Mario Party franchise for a home console...
And don't forget New colors, new peripherals, and the classic controller pro to invigorate the market... As well as potential third party hits like Dragon Quest X, Disney Epic Mickey, the Western release of Monster Hunter 3, and potential long tail sales on the last-week-of-09 Final Fantasy: Crystal Bearers....
Rollins @ Oct 30th 2009 2:01PM
The problem isn't necessarily a lack of first-party titles for the half. It's that the Wii's third-party support is so weak that it falls almost solely on Nintendo to push Wii software sales.
Mr Khan @ Oct 30th 2009 2:03PM
This is true, but the business world is a harsh place. Nintendo knows that the burden is on them to move the units, and if they were entertaining the idea that 3rd parties would suddenly wake up and start doing what they should be doing, they were sorely mistaken.
jekoln @ Oct 30th 2009 2:11PM
nintendo (console-wise) has been very weak with third party titles since the N64.
Fane [Grammar Police - Power Of Pedantry] @ Oct 31st 2009 6:17PM
(Sorry about the double-posting; shit comment system)
I don't agree. With all the money Nintendo is "printing", they should have expanded their first-party studios three-fold. Instead, they are mostly producing remakes and gimmicky shovelware.
Does Miyamoto-san have to make all of the "hardcore" games BY HIMSELF?
Oh, and where are the new IPs (and shame on you if you count Wii Fit as a new IP)?
Rollins @ Oct 30th 2009 2:17PM
It's true, although the GameCube wasn't as bad as the N64 and the Wii.
It comes with Nintendo's obsession with differentiating themselves from the competition on multiple levels. The problem extremely pronounced with the Wii because of how expensive making AAA games has become. It's more profitable for a third-party developer to make a game that PC, 360, and PS3 owners can all play than to focus on the Wii. And because the Wii can't muster the horsepower that the others can, it either misses out on games that the others get or it gets a shitty port.
If Nintendo had made the Wii equal in power to the other two consoles, they wouldn't have this problem, as the Wii controller(s) can be adapted to more traditional situations. But instead, they pulled out the duct tape.
Not that this hasn't been profitable so far, but Nintendo needs to tread carefully. They need to keep their momentum with the casual market because they've virtually thrown away everyone else.
Mr Khan @ Oct 30th 2009 3:12PM
They've almost irretrievably alienated the hobbyist gamer, to be sure, but the "Nintendo core" is still on board for the most part, i think. The Blue Ocean gamer (because casual is too broad. The kid who buys a 360 to play Madden, Halo, and Guitar Hero can be casual, but a whole different breed than the Wii Fit crowd) is of course firmly in their clutches, because nobody else is even trying to go after them quite yet. The Vitality Sensor is going to be a cast out even deeper into the Blue Ocean side of things, if they pull it off well.
Their next move seems to be to lure the "Lapsed" gamer back into the fold. The people who the industry left behind as it pursued this cinematic, story and realism driven approach that they don't find appealing. NSMBWii will be huge in that direction, and possibly Other M, depending on how they implement it.
And they are picking up the hobbyist gamer at the fringes, because they're nailing a few exclusives that some absolutely have to have (especially those in Japan, like MH3 and DQX), though they can't expect too much growth there.
And if they go heavy on the motion plus, Zelda could be a real coup for them. The game to "fulfill the promises of Wii Sports" as it were.
KidSqueek @ Oct 30th 2009 3:40PM
I want that black Wii already!!!! I'll trade in my old Wii and some change for that!!!
SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Oct 30th 2009 4:59PM
good to hear the honesty. i haven't touched my Wii in like a year and it's a shame because i can look back at all the good games that were coming out pretty regularly (Twilight Princess, Galaxy, Paper Mario, Brawl, Metroid). i have been sorely disappointed lately with it. i also have a PS3 and 360 so it's not like i have a shortage of things to play, but i would like to see them all get equal use (especially since the Wii was my first current gen console when i got it at launch).
Fane [Grammar Police - Power Of Pedantry] @ Oct 31st 2009 6:14PM
I don't agree. With all the money Nintendo is "printing", they should have expanded their first-party studios three-fold. Instead, they are mostly producing remakes and gimmicky shovelware.
Does Miyamoto-san have to make all of the "hardcore" games BY HIMSELF?
Oh, and where are the new IPs (and shame on you if you count Wii Fit as a new IP)?
t_m @ Oct 31st 2009 10:50PM
They don't seem to have focused on long term sustainability much, do they?
The few big releases fromm nintendo have been great, but it's been clear for a long time that one game studio couldn't produce the number of games needed to keep Wiis selling.
Of course, they were never gonna be able to continue forever at the rate they werer selling, but developing more 2nd and 3rd party support would have helped fill in the gaps between big nintendo releases. And updating the infrastructure to help those 3rd parties implement multiplayer, etc. would have helped with that.
I wonder how close we are to a Wii HD?
Alexander @ Nov 1st 2009 10:06PM
Shouldn't the black Wii be significantly larger then the white one?