Iwata discusses Wii U doubts, details for console this fall
As was the situation with Wii, there are many doubts about the Wii U right now. Some gaming enthusiasts, members of the press, and investors aren’t sure if the console will attain the same success as its predecessor.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata discussed this topic during an investors meeting last week. Additionally, he briefly talked about the previously mentioned fall push for Wii U, in which launch details will be announced. Iwata hinted that titles beyond launch/launch window will be announced.
Among some news reports, a report I was particularly disappointed with was that the announcement of the launch date and the price (of the Wii U) was postponed. We made a statement in public before E3 that we would announce neither the launch date nor the price (of the Wii U) at E3. It’s nothing new at all because, when we introduced the Wii, the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo 3DS, we didn’t announce the launch date or the price at the E3 shows, either. Nevertheless, what was reported in the media was that, in the context, postponement of the announcement regarding the launch date and the price was due to lack of confidence. This type of news somehow affects consumers’ minds and that would have had an impact on the share price as a result.
Finally, another issue is that the visibility of the future software lineup is unclear. During E3, titles for the overseas markets were highlighted and the titles we introduced then were only the ones to be available at the launch time and within the launch window period, which might make you wonder, “What will become of the software in the next year?” It is our intention to convey a strong message this fall with the information about the price and the launch date and then to create momentum good enough to convince our consumers to buy (the Wii U), but currently, there must be some concerns. Overall, we believe that the current share price has been determined based on what I mentioned today. In the near term, with the introduction of the Nintendo 3DS XL followed by new software titles in July and August, the most important issue is to what degree we can change the business momentum of the Nintendo 3DS in the world. Then, subsequently, when we launch the Wii U, we intend to announce the next step by saying what will happen in the future, and by doing this, we would like to change the evaluation in the market.
