Wii smashes PS2 software sales record

by Chris Greenhough { May 22nd 2008 at 2:00PM }

The folks in Nintendo's PR department, gawd bless 'em, have milked yet another statistic from the Wii's early success: according to the firm, approximately 50 million games were sold during the console's first 18 months on the market -- and that's not including Wii Sports or Virtual Console releases.

This, declared Nintendo of America's Cammie Dunaway, compared favorably to the PlayStation 2, which Nintendo claims sold only 42 million units in its opening 18 months, the Xbox 360 (around 30 million), the first Xbox (28 million), and the PlayStation 3 (20 million). No mention of the Dreamcast, we notice. Got something to hide, Nintendo? Okay, well probably not.

"While we appreciate the impact the Playstation 2 had on sales and the industry, perhaps we are even more impactful," remarked Dunaway.

Tags: business, ps2, software, tie-in, xbox, xbox-360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Rocketboy @ May 22nd 2008 2:10PM

But.. But.. I thought that nobody bought Wii games?!?!?!?!?

TheOverlord#2 can has Mario Karts?(MK:2578-3517-9859) @ May 22nd 2008 2:36PM

Well, what's the Dreamcast's sales records?

It's known that Wii has sold very, very, VERY well. Though this is awesome news for Nintendo coming out the lowest game to console number for this generation a month or two ago.

And, yea, I bet she is getting a raise. xD

TheOverlord#2 can has Mario Karts?(MK:2578-3517-9859) @ May 22nd 2008 2:37PM

Damn.
That post was supposed to be seperate.

Kenology @ May 22nd 2008 4:43PM

Actually, Overlord #2, the Wii has a better attach rate than the PS3 and isn't too far behind the Xbox 360's. You're talking about the attach rates back in October of 2007. The updated figures from April 2008 show much improvement.

See Joystiq link here: http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/npds-latest-software-tie-ratios-for-consoles/

TheOverlord#2 can has Mario Karts?(MK:2578-3517-9859) @ May 22nd 2008 5:05PM

It was October?
Oh, that was what I meant. I was thinking of the numbers before Brawl came out and how low it was.

ChunkyB @ May 22nd 2008 2:16PM

That's pretty awesome that they didn't include Wii Sports. I wonder what the numbers would be if they didn't include Wii Play either.

Kenology @ May 22nd 2008 4:46PM

Subtract 5.5 million (units of Wii Play sold) from 50 million (total number of units sold) and you get 44.5 million. Still a record, 2.5 million more units of software in the first 18 months compared to the PS2.

Though, this is irrelevant, as Wii Play should be and is counted.

ChunkyB @ May 22nd 2008 11:17PM

I agree. And, even though most people don't really like it, I think it's actually a pretty fun game.

I wonder how long it will be before people start accepting that the Wii is the real deal. I mean, do we have to wait until the next generation for people to finally say "okay Nintendo, you might be on to something here".

White Rose Duelist @ May 22nd 2008 2:27PM

It's a game, it sold. Why not count it? Remotes are sold separately for less, so people who paid for Wii Play were spending money for that game.

But since you asked, according to VGChartz, Wii Play sold just over 12 million. Take that away, and Nintendo only drops to second.

artist-illustrator @ May 22nd 2008 2:34PM

I bought it for the Wiimote because its the only way I could get another one without paying stupid prices. and I had to get that of eBay because all stores were out of both Wiimotes and Wii Play

smeg @ May 23rd 2008 12:41AM

This is US only so the 5.5 million is correct, your value of 12 million is World sales

Nathew @ May 22nd 2008 2:51PM

she's kinda hot in that ashleigh banfield sort of way.

samfish @ May 22nd 2008 3:37PM

Ashleigh Banfield's hotter, though.

...too bad she's doing, like, celebrity gossip crap, though. She seemed a little too honest for your standard cable news fare, I guess

whistlepig @ May 22nd 2008 3:07PM

didnt the ps2 have a big price tag when it first came out ? i forget how much that was but nintendo at least had a good price point to get a decent user base fast and the sports helped sell the system in the first few months .

Sam @ May 22nd 2008 3:29PM

Is "Impactful" even a word? It sounds awesome, I wish I made it.

Abras @ May 22nd 2008 4:07PM

Ah yes PR people. Hire people that know very little about your company's field and then get them to gush propaganda for your products... ugh

Fullmetal Salchemist @ May 22nd 2008 4:17PM

Yeah, they sold a shit ton of software, but how much of it was actually good?

Brandon @ May 22nd 2008 4:25PM

Yeah they sold a lot; but the majority is that stupid Wii play game. That shouldn't count as software sales.

Ethan @ May 22nd 2008 5:01PM

I'd count Wii sports as a full game, I got as much enjoyment out of it, but then I wouldn't count Wii Play, so it probably evens out.

Orion @ May 22nd 2008 5:17PM

So now game sales only matter if you enjoyed the game? Geez, you people are funny...

koehler83 @ May 22nd 2008 5:28PM

I hope none of you are buying into this tart's nonsense.

She's pulling stats out of her ass. Just another PR loon spinning facts like they clipped from a sheep.

She seems like a real authority on Hardcore gamers too. Please.

If you want real opinions on the subject, go ask David Jaffe or Cliffy B. This chick is clueless.

Mr Khan @ May 22nd 2008 5:59PM

So, what, ask a chronic whiner and a faux-hip-hopper what to think?

Chadyasotora @ May 22nd 2008 6:30PM

@koehler

That's a pretty stupid comment. She doesn't just make the figures up off the top of her head does she!? She has NOTHING to do with where the figures come from, she's just the one who shouts about them.

And what the fuck does been an 'authority on hardcore gamers', as you put it, have to do with ANYTHING!? Fricking noob.