Nintendo Sells 30 Million Wiis in United States
The Wii creates video game history with its sales in the US.
On Tuesday, Nintendo revealed that through June 30th, the Wii has sold more than 30 million units since its release in the United States alone.
It’s the fastest selling console in video game history.
Nintendo also listed the best-selling games so far in the system’s life. Wii Play, a collection of mini-games, took the number one spot for first-party games. Wii Play released on Dec. 2nd, 2006 in Japan and Feb. 12th, 2007 in North America.
According to NPD numbers, these are the best-selling Wii 1st-party games:
1. Wii Play
2. Mario Kart Wii
3. Wii Fit (with Wii Balance Board accessory)
4. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
5. Wii Sports Resort
6. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
7. Super Mario Galaxy
8. Wii Fit Plus (with Wii Balance Board accessory)
9. Mario Party 8
10. Link’s Crossbow Training
Activision’s Guitar Hero 3 is the highest selling third-party game on the Wii. It released on Oct. 28th, 2007.
These are the best-selling 3rd-party titles:
1. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision)
2. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games ( SEGA)
3. LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts)
4. Carnival Games (Take-Two Interactive)
5. Game Party (Midway)
6. EA Sports Active (Electronic Arts)
7. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
8.Rayman Raving Rabbids (Ubisoft)
9. DECA SPORTS (Hudson Entertainment)
10. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (SEGA)
The Wii launched in North America on Nov. 19th, 2006 and Dec. 2nd in Japan. Worldwide, the system has sold close to 74 million units since launch, reported IGN.
The Wii is now priced at $199.99 and comes with the Wii Motion Plus accessory and two games, Wi Sports and Wii Sports Resort.
Discussion
Nintendo’s success is great for gaming. Gamers hate them, but the Wii Plays and Wii Sports of the system suck people in. Hey, they gotta start somewhere. Not everyone starts out gaming with a Bioshock or Fallout 3. Nintendo are also the flood gate for younger gamers. Personally, I started way back on the Super Nintendo.
The Wii is a good system with a quality library of games, regardless of what the hardcore gaming community thinks. Many complain that Nintendo “sold out” to the “casual” crowd, but the hardcore market hasn’t been sacrificed in order to get grandmas to play video games. It’s just a shame many of those quality hardcore games don’t sell too well.
I don’t think we’ll ever see the Wii’s full motion control potential. We’ve seen its money making potential, but not what is can really do with games. There’s still a lot of room for some seriously cool stuff, but we’ll probably never see it.
That 3rd-party list is pretty embarrassing, not to mention depressing. It reads like a Gamestop discount bin.
I have no idea why Guitar Hero 3 is the best-selling third-party Wii game. That really doesn’t make any sense. It doesn’t speak highly of third-party Wii games when that is the best-selling on the system.
This could be easily remedied if Nintendo would actually get behind third-party games and market them, but they’re too focused on their own titles.
On the first-party side you have, well, lots of Mario games. Mario, Zelda, Mario, Zelda. Those are usually the titles Nintendo focuses the most attention on each generation. The top third-party sellers even include two Mario games. Mario is great and all, it would be great to see some different titles get some spotlight.
Photos:
Wii system by DSCUBED / Wikimedia Commons
Wii Sports Resort by Nintendo
Quarter Disorder 
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