Nintendo is not going to make the same mistake twice, says president, Satoru Iwata.
Though the Wii U launch is drawing close, Nintendo still hasn’t announced a price for the system. According to an interview with Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata – as translated by Adraisang – the console won’t break the bank. At least, not the consumer’s bank.
“We won’t make the same mistake that we did with the 3DS, which was considered relatively high by consumers,” he said.
The 3DS had a famously rocky launch, largely attributed to its hefty $250 retail price. Nintendo responded to plummeting sales with a drastic, $80 price-cut, delivered only a few months into the console’s lifespan. It worked – the 3DS went on to sell more units in the following 8 months than the ridiculously-successful DS did in its first year. It did however, prompt a lot of fan grumbling, eventually prompting Iwata to apologize to fans for the price cut.
Nintendo is trying avoid the same poor start with the Wii U, largely because the company can’t afford another screw up. This fiscal year, the company posted its first loss since it went public back in 1962.
“We’ve fixed the 3DS profitability issue,” Iwata concluded, “and pledge to turn profitable by the end of this fiscal year.”
Source: GameIndustry.biz
