Microsoft: Wii's success can't last

by David Hinkle { Dec 21st 2007 at 1:30PM }

Microsoft is obviously upset. Before Sony emerged on the scene with their ridiculously-priced units and varied SKUs, Microsoft looked like it was going to be the leader this generation. They were pumped about their middle-ground price and the features of their console. Best of both worlds, we're sure they thought.

But then the Wii changed everything. Now, Nintendo is back on top and arguably enjoying more success than they've ever enjoyed in the past. And Microsoft's head of marketing, Jeff Bell, thinks the honeymoon will be over soon and Nintendo's success is "unsustainable." To elaborate, Bell said "Clearly, we have a competitor where they win and no one else wins." He further commented "That is not sustainable, it's never been sustainable."

Can't say we agree with him, as the console's first year has been nothing but amazing for the system and we fail to see how Nintendo's success means everyone loses. For one, Nintendo won't lose, because they'll be winning. As for Nintendo remaining successful with the Wii, sure, they're going to need to keep bringing desirable software to the platform in order to stay viable, but with Wii Fit on the horizon, as well as other things Nintendo undoubtedly has up their sleeve, we're sure this popularity will continue, if not grow.

[Via GamePro]

Tags: microsoft, salesfigures, xbox360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ScoTT @ Dec 21st 2007 1:52PM

And just think of how Nintendo's success will skyrocket once they fully meet the demand for the Wii, even though that won't be for a while.

Garu @ Dec 21st 2007 1:55PM

Translation"

Microsoft: "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Elbow Tom @ Dec 21st 2007 2:05PM

"Clearly, we have a competitor where they win and no one else wins." He further commented "That is not sustainable, it's never been sustainable."

So wait, does this mean that Windows is doomed?

SoshiKitai @ Dec 21st 2007 4:24PM

But they always are doomed, silly.
And when they get high enough, suddenly they get attacked by either lawyers or "individuals", then Apple pretends to be "innovative" and "not in it for the money, but for the best" and people suck up to Apple again.

Then Microsoft gives its business appeal again and then they kind of walk back to them... suddenly they get attacked by either lawyers or "individuals"... then Apple pretends to be-- etc etc...

Ongoing. Microsoft is always doomed. It's a cycle.

ArashiUzumaki @ Dec 21st 2007 2:05PM

translation..

Microsoft: "..." *spews*

logic @ Dec 21st 2007 2:17PM

Microsoft windows has had a long run and the wii doesn't have nearly the number of problems

CJC @ Dec 21st 2007 2:37PM

"Thems is fightin' words!"

Jesse @ Dec 21st 2007 2:51PM

Honestly - I'm a very self-critical wii owner, and I worry that the wii is going to continue what I see as a destined-to-lose first party games existence....but even WITH that....all i have to say is the following: smash bros and mario kart. even though they're first party games, even though they're sequels, even though it's only two games and both have mario....they are going to dominate. i think both, or at LEAST smash bros, will completely invigoriate the wii's horrid online history and bring a whole new slew of players (i personally know at least one huge nintendo fan who hasn't bought a wii yet solely cuz they're waiting for smash bros to come out)

so yea i do think ps3 and xbox 360 will even out more with the wii because i think they're going to have a largery variety of games and a larger amount of good games...but i think the wii is going to continue to lead because of its mass appeal and a select few ludicrously phenomenal titles. besides who needs an xbox when i can play bioshock on my pc?

Mort @ Dec 21st 2007 3:00PM

I think he is right... I mean eventually people stopped buying the NES and SNES right? Until the VC that is. So when the next-next gen console comes out, the Wii's success might die down a little bit.

Also, a quick flaw in your post...

Bell: "Clearly, we have a competitor where they win and no one else wins."

1 vs. All minus 1

"...we fail to see how Nintendo's success means everyone loses"

0 vs. All

He is clearing saying Nintendo is winning, and that cannot last forever (which it can't, new systems come out). The little editorial at the end is a little off from his quote.

Fullmetal Salchemist @ Dec 21st 2007 3:01PM

"Clearly, we have a competitor where they win and no one else wins."

Yes, because that is the exact gorram definition of winning. One person wins and everyone else loses. This isn't grade school. "Everyone is a winner! Have a gold star!" no longer applies in the real world.

Pawsie @ Dec 21st 2007 3:03PM

a shame nintendo wasn't looking to directly compete with anyone... even if no one buys anymore wiis, they made a big profit already.... unlike the other two, they don't have to pay catch up.. they're already up.

Milly @ Dec 21st 2007 3:10PM

I own both the 360 and Wii and feel that both systems complement each other well. The one problem for Nintendo, in my situation, is the only I buy is Nintendo exclusive titles for my Wii or things that utilize the motion control well- some VC stuff, Mario, Zelda, wii sports is nice, etc. etc.. And what I buy for my 360 is basically any multiplatform game that I want (because why would I buy it on Wii in terms of performance/graphics) and 360 exclusive titles. So, I've had Wii for about 4/5 months and 360 for little over a year. I have about 30 titles (not counting live arcade) on my xbox and 4 titles for my Wii (including Wii sports). And based on upcoming titles for each this trend looks to continue. This is my personal experience. And for more casual gamers (the Wii obviously appeals to and has become so popular with), they probably buy just as many Wii games than me, if not less.

I don't offer an opinion as to which will "win" but I don't think my desribed situation is too good for Wii. For my benefit, I hope both continue strong and encourage new development.

Tristan @ Dec 21st 2007 3:17PM

I feel that the Wii's success will be shortlived. Although they may continue to keep selling out in stores, there really is no real tangible substance in the way of games. I dont see publishers give a huge celebration over breakneck record hits of their games. Apart from Nintendo's own games, nothing seems to be selling quite well. And everything else is lacking in much quality.

Microsoft is definitely right, in that Wii will probably keep selling out, but the other systems can probably better sell their games and thus make more money. Wii wont be the only "winner" for long as everything else is really up and coming and having so many more awesomer more games!

Russ Carroll @ Dec 21st 2007 3:37PM

Guitar Hero 3 sold best on the Wii and had the highest attach rate of the 3 next-gen consoles. 60% of the November Wii software sales were 3rd parties. Other games, like Resident Evil 4, which sold more than 2x what Capcom expected on the Wii, could also be pulled out as examples of 3rd parties selling well on the Wii.

Honestly, the 3rd parties could do a lot better. When I have to choose between Nintendo made games and 3rd party games it's a pretty easy choice...Nintendo made games are better. That's why 3rd party games aren't selling better. (and I think the main concern here is that beyond GHIII there aren't any TOP sellers from 3rd parties on the Wii...the games are selling, and considering how much they appear to have cost to develop, they probably can be in the black with fairly low sales)

I believe 3rd parties will improve though. Most of them, last year this time, were in shock that the Wii was selling and were quickly trying to get teams in place to put out some games. It takes time to make good games, so I'm hopeful 3rd parties will have things figured out come a year from now...and we're likely to have the occasional hit inbetween.

I know it's marketing speak, but the statement by MS isn't accurate. It seems all the marketing bravado I read leaves a bad taste in mouth REGARLESS of the source.

Anticrawl @ Dec 21st 2007 3:56PM

Actually Ross, the Wii has the smallest attach rate. They have the smallest ratio of games to consoles sold out of all three. They've made the greatest amount of profit and consistantly sell more per month than any other console but the average Wii owner only has 1-2 games. I forget where I remember reading the software to hardware sales rates for each console but it was pretty supprising. I'd figure the Wii would atleast have more than the PS3 in software per console.

Jhongerkong @ Dec 21st 2007 3:28PM

360s dont last either, literally that is

Ethan @ Dec 21st 2007 4:49PM

Capcom are winning. It's just been EA and others (Ubi to an extent) being stupid.

comtar @ Dec 21st 2007 4:50PM

"Clearly, we have a competitor where they win and no one else wins."

What the fuck does that mean? They make it sound they are ripping people off, concidering the amount they make in sales, I'd say that is hardly the case. If anything I'd say the first 6 months of the PS3 fits this description, where the consoles sold, but had almost zero content to play. Sony won, no one else did.

If this is a shot at the lack of 3rd party support, I think this will change soon with No More Heroes and others suddenly backing it. The problem with the 3rd party launch lineups was to many people were poorly porting shit over with shoddy controls. Resident Evil 4 obvious was not a problem for the Wii or Umbrella Chronicles.

Derek @ Dec 21st 2007 6:07PM

"Clearly, we have a competitor where they win and no one else wins."

He's talking about selling games, not systems. Nintendo is the only publisher making money off of the Wii right now. I agree with this guy that it's not sustainable - 3rd parties will stop making games on the system unless people start buying them.

Anticrawl @ Dec 21st 2007 6:52PM

Then again it certainly isn't the consumers fault. 3rd parties need to start making decent games. They're consistantly pumping out more shovelware than the ps2 did. And how can consumers look to those games when there are quality 1st party games readily available.

nintendolink007-entertainment @ Dec 21st 2007 7:01PM

Well fix your consoles, microsoft....fix them....then i would help support you as well. You are the worse this generation, having a class action suit just to help fix the hardware you push out to the public. Stop your complaining, Nintendo deserves the success with all the thought they put in their products.

Kai Cherry @ Dec 21st 2007 10:05PM

Ah, Microsoft...god bless 'em :)

As someone above posted, this isn't about MS or Sony losing...this is a SOP at microsoft.

They are essentially trying to intimate that Nintendo's platform is *vertical* with Nintendo being the end-to-end beneficiary.

That is to day, no one sells anything on Nintendo's platform but Nintendo.

OTOH, see, if you write software for the second (or third) place consoles, see, your Quake Derivative might sell, because Microsoft won't be competing agai- oh, wait.

Microsoft is a game publisher too...and it looks like their "first and second party" stuff is mopping the floor on the 360 sooo...

Basically, MS is trying to do a 180 (Ha!) because they did not see Nintendo as competition; when they were doing the whole "Wii60" thing they never believed that Nintendo would overtake their market share.

Now they see the "competition" much more clear and they know they can't do anything about the consumer...so they are going after the developer ranks instead.

Standard Operating Procedure @ Microsoft :) Nothing to see...no surprises :)

Maddles @ Dec 21st 2007 11:24PM

Wasn't the PS2 on top for an entire generation? Isn't it still selling relatively well? Therefore, the Wii cannot last. Same with the 360 and PS3.

Ting Lee @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:32AM

As other posters have mentioned, the early success of Wii will snowball into a leading position for the entire generation. Like the DS and the PS2, due to low development cost and large install base, game makers will sees the Wii as the preferred console in this generation. Game makers will see that the cost of failure for developing Wii games to be much less than the other two consoles and as such, I foresee more innovative games being invested.

There will be room for 3rd party successes as long as they focus on quality. 3rd party developers have yet to bring their A teams to the Wii platform and when they do, they will be successful.

Lucy @ Dec 22nd 2007 3:01AM

I know this place is called "Wii Fanboy" for a reason (and I'm here for that very reason: love for the Wii), but it seems you guys have a general tendency to just humorously brush off what competitors and skeptical analysts are saying... just because you're Wii Fanboy. I agree with the others who say that Bell's statements are rather just, and I HOPE that 3rd parties will see the non-party-game possibilities of the Wii and stop skipping it for all the other next-gens and the DS (I'm still angry about Assassin's Creed). However, I have to say I'm tired of the "WII'RE AWESOME FOREVER, YEAH!" view that I see in the rather flippant dismissals of criticisms about the Wii. Yes, the Wii has enormous potential for some pretty awesome games, but if we just keep on loving it without complaints, I can't see Nintendo or 3rd party developers really taking us seriously enough to address the problems (e.g. the unfortunate dismissal of graphics quality and the inundation of lackluster games). I appreciate comedic hubris as much as the next person (possibly MORE than the next person), but I'd really like to see some posts that put some serious thought into what could be done to keep the Wii fun and successful (and not just in the Wii Warm Ups, either... how much are those read, anyway?). Well, sorry for the rant... I still enjoy WF as much as ever.

Fullmetal Salchemist @ Dec 22nd 2007 3:28AM

Sir or madam,
Your post was eloquent, thought out, and sensible.

I'm afraid there is no place for you on the internet.

egotrippen @ Dec 22nd 2007 8:46AM

I agree with this, so, so much. Really, it's 3rd party titles that carry your system, and while the Wii definitely has time to catch up, I've been feeling the sting pretty hard. I don't have anything in my library right now that I can't let go of - I'm playing more Virtual Console games than Wii games, but a wide margin. And while No More Heroes and Smash certainly look amazing, things like lackluster sales of Mario Galaxy make me nervous for the future of, you know, non-party-themed games on the Wii. I picked up an Xbox the other day, because it's finally getting games that are hard for me to ignore - my main list is skate, Bioshock, Orange Box, Assassin's Creed, and Beautiful Katamari. There's nothing on the Wii horizon as attractive as those games, and that hurts a little bit. I've been a Wii owner and supporter for over a year. But, if even Nintendo isn't selling "hardcore games" as well as expected(!), and third parties are giving us shovelware like Soul Caliber Legends(!), someone somewhere needs to be noticing a problem. If the Wii's gonna have longevity, it's the second or third year that will show it. Market Dominance won't necessarily define the winner in this generation, oddly enough. Ninty is going after 'a different market,' and sooner or later you're going to have to ask yourself what market you fall into

Kai Cherry @ Dec 23rd 2007 1:35PM

WellLucy and trippin'...while some of the above concerns are "ones to watch for" (as I am not a fan of hubris, either) I think you have to keep in mind tho that you are kind of judging "sucess" and "failure" by the old metrics.

Remember, what makes this system attractive to people outside of the "core" gamer is exactly why it is selling so well...so basing concerns of future success on these aforementioned metrics is about as flawed as MS' assertion that "3rd party publishers are in peril on the Wii".

It is 3rd party devs that aren't appealing to the wider demographic that have something to worry about.

A good example is the Ghostbusters title. These guys knew from Day Zero that they *could* make a version of the game "like" the other ones, but then they asked the question: "Who are we making this game for?"

I don't think Ubi or EA or Take Two are hurting for sales on Wii.

What MS' statements tell me more than anything is that if you are planning on an unoriginal FPS, might do better on the XBox360.

I think that is a fair assessment.

Lucy @ Dec 23rd 2007 6:33PM

@KaiCherry:

Very good point about the Wii demographics. I actually read the article this time and can see that Bell's comments may just be based on unfounded speculations about Wii game sales. However, I beg to differ on your reasoning, and think I should explain my stance more clearly:

I'm not saying the Wii will eventually crash and fail, and I'm definitely not saying 3rd party developers are hurting Wii sales (more developers can only help!). I'm saying WE need to start calling for BETTER things for the Wii because it's getting TOO comfortable at the top and we shouldn't be satisfied if it COULD be better.

First, here's the problem I see with judging the Wii based on the wider demographics: a LOT of non-gamers are buying the Wii, but as far as most of these people are concerned, Wii Sports IS the Wii. They'll be happy if they never buy another Wii game again. The people who are eager and willing to buy more and more games for the Wii are casual and more-than-casual gamers. So right away, 3rd party developers are kind of stuck in a difficult place: play to the big potential of the non-gamer market, or earn the trust of actual gamers? Nintendo has their sure-fire franchises (Mario, Zelda, Metroid), so they only have to worry about making a fun game. But 3rd parties aren't really sure what will stick, so their offerings have been rather hit-or-miss. As fans, I think we should help direct them in the right direction by loudly telling them what we want.

Second, I do NOT think it's a fair assessment that the 360 is full of "unoriginal FPS"... it's more like ignoring the recent trend of 360 games. Games like BioShock, Assassin's Creed, and Mass Effect are incredibly innovative and well-developed. In fact, a friend of mine who had been as excited as I was about the Wii since its launch, recently went and got a 360 instead. Her parents wanted a Wii, but since playing some of the more casual 360 games (yes, they have those! Check out Boom Boom Rocket and Viva Pinata), they no longer want a Wii!

I'm saying this NOT as a "core" gamer, but as one of the casual gamers that Nintendo has created with the Wii and the DS. The Wii was my first big console purchase and it really has worked as a sort of "gateway drug" to console gaming in general. I thought the 360 WAS just an unimaginative FPS machine, but after following news on all the games that have been coming out, I have to say that the only thing stopping me from buying a 360 right now is my lack of money. I still think the Wii is a great console and has more immediately fun games for the casual gamer, but... well, you don't see Chicken Shoot on the other consoles, do you?