Wii
Developer: Nintendo
Year Released: 2006
Generation: 7th
Nintendo had lost the audience it commanded in the 80’s, and attempts to draw those gamers back proved futile. PlayStation 2 cemented its position as the mainstream console of choice while the Xbox was the premier core gamer console. There was little breathing space between the two. The games industry seemed to be concentrating more and more on hardcore players and Nintendo realized it needed to break out of that.
With the help of motion control technology, Nintendo took an astounding risk and attempted to create a new market from nothing. Nintendo used what was referred to as the “blue ocean” strategy. It targeted those who had never played games, or those who played rarely. Nintendo began to conduct market experiments, both big and small, under the guise of product releases. The tests were not so much about sales statistics but to gauge whether families would enjoy playing games if the user interface was significantly simplified.
Nintendo built a simplified game controller designed to look like an nonthreatening TV remote that allowed people to play simply by moving the remote around. The console was known by the code name “Revolution” until it was changed to Wii. Wii has a distinctive “ii” spelling that symbolised both the unique controllers, and the image of people playing it.
Ahead of Wii’s launch, while there were significant reservations from certain fans, the sheer mystery of the Wii had captured the imagination of the gaming world. The Wii was released in 2006 to market hysteria. Millions of people, many who had never owned a game console before, headed to the shops to get themselves a Wii. In the first half of 2007, the Wii outsold the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined. Severe shortages affected retailers around the globe. From 2006 to 2007, shops reported that new shipments were depleted within an hour of going on sale. Nintendo’s decision to break from the pack had taken them back to the top of the video game tree and prompted Song and Microsoft to start developing motion controllers of their own.
Nintendo issued the following statement: “We understand that we’re not going to run our company just for hardcore gamers. There are gamers out there who are not as knowledgeable as you, gamers who aren’t your age, gamers who don’t have your tastes. It’s my job, it’s Nintendo’s job, to satisfy all the gamers”.