Wii Sales Strong Without GTA4

Apr. 21 8:49 PM by Lynxara

The Wii is not a good console for multi-platform titles, usually combining low-end graphics with half-baked use of the Wii Remote. That doesn't stop the odd title that really resonates with the Wii audience, like Activision's problem-plagued Guitar Hero III, from selling well. Still, doesn't it hurt the Wii when a big game like GTA4 is coming up and there's no SKU for the system?

... well, I guess not. The chart above, courtesy of financial site Seeking Alpha, shows Compete's estimates of people shopping online for the system mapped against the NPD sales figures for each month listed. You'll notice that even hot first-party titles like Brawl or Mario Galaxy don't really generate demand spikes. They may gently increase actual sales on occasion, but the Wii itself generates demand, and usually sells at roughly the pace that Nintendo can manufacture the units. For that matter, overall demand for other consoles doesn't seem to be directly tied to any particular piece of software.

Food for thought, anyway.