Wii is a Massive Hit

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A F NINTENDO WII VIDEO GAME SYSTEM NINTENDO WII VIDEO GAME SYSTEM Built on a foundation of pure fun, Nintendo's new Wii (TM) video game system sold through to more than 600,000 consumers in the Americas in just its first eight days of availability. ...

    REDMOND, Wash., Nov. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Built on a foundation of pure
 fun, Nintendo's new Wii(TM) video game system sold through to more than
 600,000 consumers in the Americas in just its first eight days of
 availability. That's a rate of nearly one per second continuously since the
 Nov. 19 launch. Including just first-party software and accessory sales,
 Wii instantly has become a $190 million business in the Americas.
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     During the Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend, there was plenty of
 conversation across the nation about the high demand for the Wii system,
 with the acknowledgment that if you see one, you'd better buy it.
     "Even with sales already in excess of 600,000 units, demand continues
 to exceed supply, as it's clear this is one of the 'gotta-have' products
 for the holiday season," says Nintendo of America President Reggie
 Fils-Aime. "We've shipped retailers several times the amount of hardware
 the other company was able to deliver for its launch around the same time
 -- and we still sold out. Given the inclusive nature of Wii game play,
 we're seeing this new form of video gaming is already a huge hit with
 gamers and newcomers alike. It continues to be a phenomenal launch."
     The system also is succeeding in its stated mission of reinvigorating
 current players, while attracting new ones. Every Wii system includes the
 five-game Wii Sports(TM) software, which is the talk of the Internet,
 featuring countless reports on how previously devout non-gamers have
 suddenly been converted via the amazing new way games are experienced using
 the system's remarkable controller. At the same time, the masterful The
 Legend of Zelda(R): Twilight Princess, a favorite of avid gamers, already
 has achieved sales of more than 454,000 units in the Americas, representing
 more than 75 percent of all hardware purchasers.
     Licensees, pleased not only with the sales performance of the Wii, but
 also its creative development capabilities, are publicly sharing their
 comments:
     "Madden NFL 07 is a great example of how the Wii gives players a whole
 new experience on their favorite games," says EA Studio President Paul Lee.
 "EA's creative teams are working to build more Wii features into some of
 our most popular franchises."
     "The creativity we've been able to unleash on the Wii system with our
 game Red Steel has been eye-opening for our development teams," explains
 Ubisoft President Laurent Detoc. "Having the opportunity to design and
 develop entirely new game-play experiences using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk
 is both exciting and rewarding."
     Classic games also are proving to be a hit on Wii, which offers
 downloadable access to 20 years of the best of Nintendo(R), Sega Genesis(R)
 and TurboGrafx16(TM) hits via the system's Virtual Console(TM) feature.
     The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment,
 Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and
 software for its Wii(TM), Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo
 GameCube(TM) systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion
 video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has
 created industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R), Metroid(R),
 Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America
 Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's
 operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo,
 visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.
 
 

SOURCE Nintendo