The Wii trails behind competitors in New Zealand
by Candace Savino 
{ Jul 2nd 2008 at 5:00PM }
Perhaps the Kiwis wouldn't be so adverse to the Wii if Nintendo actually showed some love to the neglected country. In the current climate, though, New Zealanders are distributor-less. Phoenix Distribution is picking up the slack for Activision's games in the region, but according to the company's founder, "Nintendo is a lemon." To top it all off, Nintendo doesn't even bother advertising the console to its beloved casual crowd, making the Wii a system for the Nintendo hardcore only. Obviously, the distribution problem needs to be fixed, but will it be?
If any of you Kiwis want to shed some light on the situation, feel free to do so in the comments.
[Via NeoGAF]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ethan @ Jul 2nd 2008 5:14PM
Remember how the only time Reggie Fils-Aime seemed underfoot was when Iwata said NoA was underperforming. They need to get all 'not angry, but disappointed in' the New Zealand team.
samfish @ Jul 2nd 2008 5:37PM
This has been the case for awhile.
Ahhh! I remember the good ol' days of 2007 when some fanboys were still proclaiming the Wii to be a fad and pointing to New Zealand as proof of what's to come!
Ethan @ Jul 3rd 2008 1:13PM
New Zealand is a trailblazer as we all know.
Shane @ Jul 2nd 2008 5:43PM
Yeah, I was surprised to be the only one lined up waiting for the store to open on the Wii release day. Especially after hearing how hard it was to get a Wii everywhere else.
The Wii just doesn't have presence any here. It gets very little retail space in stores and the other two consoles always make the front pages in store advertisements. Nintendo really hasn't made any effort over here.
The only good thing that's come out of it is that I've been able to get anything I want (the console, extra controllers, games) without having to preorder or wait in lines. Makes me smile that some people are still waiting hours in a line just to grab a Wii.
Parsnipzilla @ Jul 3rd 2008 12:35AM
I blame our advertising, everytime it comes on TV it makes me ashamed to be a gamer.
They're just not marketing it to the right demographics
Alan @ Jul 3rd 2008 4:13AM
There is no official Nintendo branch here either, just a distributor, which went out of business last month. This may have something to do with the lack of promotion of the console.
In the last few months I've seen less and less of the Wii in the high street electronics stores, although the gaming specialists still keep a decent selection. The best way to get Wii gear here though seems to be through a certain chain gaming store that distributes its own stuff independently of the official distributor - instead getting consoles and games from its parent chain in Australia.
The other problem is the expense of the games - which may also be a problem shared with other consoles - but when a (fantastic) discount title like Zack and Wiki sells here for the equivalent of US$87 you know there's a problem.
Jon A @ Jul 3rd 2008 8:51AM
IMHO, it's marketed as a system for casual gamers, but sold only in places hardcore gamers visit. With no equivalent of Target and Wal-Mart (or even Amazon.com) to sell the system to casual gamers, and no push to move units to the 'hard core' gamer segment ... well, you get what you see here.
Donutta @ Jul 3rd 2008 9:18AM
Nintendo has never been very popular in New Zealand. I remember when I moved here in 1994, the system of choice was the Master System. Quite a shock, I'll tell you. They also say it "see-ga" instead of "say-ga". Annoying.
Sony really got a foothold with the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. Everyone knows why. It's pointless to repeat it. The N64 had a bit of success, largely through word of mouth and games like Goldeneye and Mario Kart 64, but it never took off in a big way.
The bottom line is that Nintendo doesn't have the brand appeal it has overseas. And given that the Wii has very little advertising compared to its peers; that Singstar and Buzz have already captured the casual market; the Wii is more expensive than an Xbox 360; games are delayed for aaaaaaaages on it (Smash Bros., I'm looking at you); and Grand Theft Auto isn't on it, it's not hard to see why it's not selling.
Still, I love mine. ^_^