Most gamers believe that the Nintendo Wii U is trailing far behind Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One. The month-to-month sales data seems to back this up, with the newer consoles outselling the Wii U by a wide margin. However, Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America, paints a different picture.
While the monthly sales data portrays the Wii U in a negative light, in terms of overall console sales, the Wii U is still ahead of the Xbox One. This leaves it in second place behind the PS4, but that too may soon change. The Wii U has sold a total of more than 6 million consoles as of March 31. As of April 6, the PS4 has sold more than 7 million units. One reason for Fils-Aime to be optimistic is Mario Kart 8, which increased weekly Wii U sales by a factor of four after its launch May 30.
"We think that the Wii U has a long and vibrant life in front of it," Fils-Aime says in an interview with The Seattle Times. "What it needs are games like Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros for Wii U and Splatoon - those types of games that can really drive the installed base. We believe if we can do that effectively the Wii U has a long and robust life."
Fils-Aime says that while the games available upon release of the Wii U weren't as strong as Nintendo had hoped, the company will be releasing a number of high-profile exclusives this year. Upcoming titles include Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2 and Super Smash Bros. Nintendo is also planning on releasing a new Legend of Zelda game in 2015.
Fils-Aime also points out that the Wii U isn't Nintendo's only console. The Nintendo 3DS was the number one selling game system last year. The handheld continues to perform well despite the increase in mobile gaming on devices such as smartphones and tablets. Fils-Aime says he is unconcerned about competition from app-based games.
"What we're seeing from consumers is that they want a fun experience, and there's a certain amount of fun that you can have on a smart device," Fils-Aime says in the interview. "But more and more consumers are seeing that the depth of game play is so much better with a dedicated handheld, and right now we're the dedicated handheld of choice."
Despite monthly sales data remaining in favor of the PS4 and Xbox One, Fils-Aime seems to think that the Wii U is just starting to hit its stride. He says he will be very interested to see the data on U.S. sales for June.
