Nintendo UK on Wii U stock, price, no plans for a price cut, targeting the core at launch, more
Nintendo UK executives James Honeywell and Shelly Pearce were in attendance for the Wii U’s launch last night. Of course, the event wouldn’t have been complete without a few interview questions!
Eurogamer spoke with the Honeywell and Pearce just before the console’s official release in the UK. The two commented on Wii U stock, the system’s price, potential confusion that using the Wii’s brand could bring, concerns about a possible price cut in the near future, and targeting the core audience at launch. There’s even some talk about the 3DS as well.
Check out the full Q&A below.
Honeywell on whether or not Wii U will be the best-selling console this Christmas…
“We know we’ve got a certain amount of stock available so it’s possible that other existing formats have already got more stock than us. It’s possibly the most anticipated – it’s the only new thing out there – but whether it will be number one is difficult to pin down.”
Honeywell/Pearce on whether or not they anticipate Wii U breaking console launch sales records…
“I think it’s down to the amount of stock we’re able to bring in. We have a good number for today and then we’ll have strong shipments coming in up until Christmas. But it’s possible we won’t break a record.” – Honeywell
“It’ll have a strong launch. Obviously we’re trying to get stock into the market as much as we can. But whether we’ll have enough stock for launch day to break sales records I don’t know.” – Pearce
Honeywell on Wii U pre-orders compared to Wii…
“As soon as we made the [launch date] announcement back in September, pre-orders started amazingly. But what we have had to do is manage the level of pre-orders to make sure we’ve got adequate stock. We’ve only taken pre-orders up to the level of stock so no one pre-orders one and doesn’t get one.”
Honeywell on how much more stock will be in circulation above the amount of pre-orders…
“In terms of day-one it’s almost totally sold through. But following that we’ll have more shipments – all retailers have been told their allocation for the next few weeks so people can jump on a waiting list. Definitely for the first weekend it’s going to be difficult getting one. If you see one, get it straight away!”
Honeywell on whether or not he’s happy with the amount of available stock in the UK…
“Well we’ve already said there’s more coming in time for Christmas. We’re going to ship 5.5 million by the end of the financial year so I’m sure there’s going to be enough to satisfy demand.”
Honeywell on whether or not he expects Wii U software to be in the top ten of the all-formats UK chart next week…
“Oh yeah, definitely. …Well, it (being in the top 5) all depends on the strength of the market. Most of the big hits have come out now but it is a big time of the year. I definitely think we’ll see Wii U games in the top ten. Hopefully top five.”
Honeywell/Pearce on where they see Wii U in a year’s time and if they feel pressure for it to find a foothold before other machines launch…
“It all comes down to the experience we offer. At the moment, anyway, Wii U offers something unique. Wii proved it’s not all about power, that it’s down to the games people want to play. We’ve got a good launch line-up and a good Q1 so as long as we keep releasing good software I think we’ll be fine.” – Honeywell
“We hope it’ll build on the launch base of the Wii. In the UK the Wii is now around 8 million [sold] and we hope to attract all of that 8 million – hopefully more. We’re certainly pleased it has launched this peak season before Christmas. The key thing is it’s the only new home console on the market. It definitely has an advantage in that respect.” – Pearce
Honeywell on profitability and trade prices…
“We don’t really talk about the trade price and obviously retailers set their own prices. I don’t think it matters to most people – it’s more important that they can get the console and the games they want. …We don’t really set those things. We’ve got some great titles, there are some great third-party titles. We just want everyone to be successful on the platform.”
Honeywell/Pearce on why the Wii U is the most expensive console at launch since the SNES…
“Obviously the Wii U offers a lot of new features and a totally new way to play games. The reason we’ve brought out a number of packs is to allow consumers to make the choice of which they want to purchase on day one. Ultimately we’ve tried to bring out a number of things at different price points and bring lots of people in.” – Honeywell
“I think it’s good value for money considering it’s quite a technical piece of kit. Ultimately the consumer will decide but we’re confident that it is.” – Pearce
Honeywell on whether or not he’s comfortable with the fact that the Basic Wii U is more expensive than the N64, GameCube, and Wii…
“We think it’s a really good price as it offers so many different abilities – certainly more than the other consoles you mentioned – such as web chat or Miiverse. We’re happy it offers value for money.”
Honeywell on whether or not it’s less attractive a proposition than the Wii since it’s more expensive…
“No, not at all. We have a number of packs – there is something there for everyone. The Wii U is a different console offering lots of new things [and] those new features cost money to put in.”
Honeywell on whether or not he thinks people expect features such as a browser and video calling…
“I guess there are some similar features in other consoles, but no one brings it together in the unique package that Nintendo does, and it is really that uniqueness that allows us to have fun in the market.”
Honeywell/Pearce on those who are on the fence with Wii U and are waiting for a price cut…
“The 3DS was a strong launch for us – we’re hoping the Wii U will be just as strong or even stronger. As for whether there will be a future price cut we certainly have no plans for it at the moment.”
“We have no plans for a price cut – if someone really wants it this Christmas they should go out and buy it!” – Pearce
Honeywell on whether or not another early price drop would be damaging to Nintendo…
“All technology comes out at one price and eventually changes to another. I don’t think it’s unique to Nintendo or even video games. …Well we wanted to make sure people could get a hold of the 3DS as much as possible. It really is standard for most technology products.”
Honeywell/Pearce on whether or not they feel bringing a new Wii-branded console to the market will be confusing to consumers…
“It’s not something we found out about until recently and it’s not something we’re working to bring to the UK at the moment. Each market takes its own decision about what’s right. …We’ve sold a huge number of Wii consoles in the UK and that wasn’t about going after everyone at once. It was about picking certain audiences and working our way through it. We’re here tonight [with Wii U] to talk to the early adopters, the most loyal fans. If we can get them on board and playing it, taking it home and sharing it with their friends and family then that is very powerful and will help us to expand. It’s not about speaking to everyone at the beginning. You can see from the crowd outside and the pre-orders we’ve got that we’ve spoken to some people and hopefully they can experience it and allow us to talk to others. …We want people to work with us and help us get that message out there. We want people to take one home this weekend and play it together on Christmas Day. That’s the best form of communication we can have. It’s not about talking to everyone – that would be very expensive – it’s about talking to the right people and getting them to talk to others.” – Honeywell
“I think consumers are quite savvy [to know the difference]. …We definitely do still need to educate people. The key thing is that the controller is the most obvious difference. I think people do find it misleading and we are trying to address that by making it clear Wii U is a new console. Our core fans get it but yes, when we talk to a wider audience we’re aware we need to continue to communicate that. There will be lots of sampling activity, demo consoles in stores, things like that.” – Pearce
Pearce on why she thinks 3DS sales outside of Japan have been “weak”…
“In the UK it has a pretty strong momentum at the moment. Obviously Japan has just seen the Animal Crossing launch and sales have gone through the roof. Certainly we haven’t seen that huge uplift here but I think we’re at a tipping point. With sales where they are we’re all looking to Christmas – maybe not for the same rate as Japan but it’ll get there.”
Pearce on whether or not Paper Mario: Sticker Star is enough for the 3DS this holiday…
“I think there’s a lot happening this Christmas. We have the new 3DS XL bundles and Layton is still doing really well. And Paper Mario is a classic!”
Pearce on the situation with Scribblenauts Unlimited’s release on Wii U in Europe…
“It will come in the launch window – so by the end of March. I’m not sure the reasons but we will be bringing it to market in the first quarter.”
Pearce on online passes for Wii U…
“We want to leave it up to the publishers to define their own online strategy for their games, but it is very much their decision. …Yeah, it’s very much what they want to deliver.”
Pearce on the target market for Wii U…
“Certainly our focus right now at launch is on the core Nintendo fans. We’re particularly catering for the avid people who will buy the console at launch. Next year we’ll look to broaden the market – we’ve got games like Wii Fit U coming – so we hope we can get the balance of catering to all needs. But right now the focus is on the core fan.”
