Nintendo see themselves having neatly positioned the Wii U to appeal to families running into the Christmas season, even on the verge of Microsoft and Sony launching the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
Whilst their arrival will spark interest in the games industry, Satoru Iwata shared that Nintendo’s software lineup – which encompasses the likes of Super Mario 3D World, Wii Party U and Wii Fit U – attracts an audience that their competitors aren’t turning their attention to.
Capitalising on such opportunity therefore allows them to promote their “individuality” in the market, which they will be hoping can lead to Wii U sales success.
“We have an offering of software for the end of this calendar year that encourages family fun at home. Nintendo is preparing a number of Wii U games for next year that greatly appeal to highly skilled users, but at the end of this calendar year, we have quite a few offerings that can be played by the whole family, dad and the kids, or grandparents and the kids,” Iwata began in his explanation.
“Other companies will launch new consoles (in the overseas markets at the end of this year), but I think they focus on targeting highly skilled users. Therefore, in that sense, though the competition will heat up because new game consoles will come out and there will be a ‘war of the game consoles’ played out in media articles, we wonder if the target user will actually be the same.
“The games available at the end of this calendar year, Super Mario 3D World, Wii Party U, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Wii Sports Club and Wii Fit U, all lean more toward family use, and we are targeting those who bought Wii and would be interested in the Wii U offerings. That is slightly different than what other companies are aiming for.
“Thus, in the sense that we attract consumers interested in this category of video games, I think the launch of other video game systems is also good for us because they energise the video game industry as a whole. Though there are some who take the view that intensified competition means overseas competition will be tough for Nintendo, no matter how Nintendo does domestically, I do not necessarily see it that way.
“This year, what Nintendo is promoting is, conversely, to stand out in the game industry for individuality. I believe we have become a unique value.”
Nintendo’s “individuality” shines in wake of competitor next-gen consoles
