Casuals Saving The Wii Yet Again

Looking at the best selling software for the Wii this year it's obvious once again that Nintendo making the casual the core of the console is paying off (literally)

If we take out Wii Sports the three best selling titles so far this year are...

Wii Sports Resort
Just Dance 2
Wii Fit Plus

In a year where Nintendo's facing no growth in 3 years on the Wii, a sharp decline in profits, and a hardware launch that taxes the leverage of the company it's the casual that comes to the rescue and still supports the Wii day in and day out.

Some people say that Nintendo's true bread and butter is the Nintendo fan but as the Gamecube showed us they are not large enough nor loyal enough to keep a console afloat. The casuals were said to be a flash in the pan that would desert Nintendo but starting our 5th year with the Wii it's the casual who's the backbone.

There is no question that the next console will be aimed at them even more because they're the only group that didn't let Nintendo down, when software is made for them they've bought it in droves and unlike other smaller niches on the console they're don't have a "best time to buy" software either. You release software during the holidays and they buy it, you launch it in the spring and they buy it, mid summer software? That's bought too.

EDIT: To further expand my point the year that passed was supposed to be the year that had games for the Nintendo gamer but all of those titles fell off the map with Donkey Kong the only one that's hanging in the top ten at this point. Everything else was just passed by.

Who else is excited to see that the casual has become the most trustworthy and loyal customer when it comes to the Wii?

I'm going to stay out of the arguement we both know is coming. But I will say that I had alot of fun if Wii Sport Resort

if the casuals want to give nintendo the money they need to stay in business so they can bring is the great games the wii has gave us like: brawl,prime trilogy, galaxy,other m,donkey kong, kirby, sonic..virtual console.. and 3rd party offerings like force unleashed oakmi and others..

then i say cheers to the casuals. yey for casuals!

Can't argue with that, the legs of the games aimed at the "casual" market have been pretty amazing. Texas Tech ordered 26 Wii's w/ Wii Fit+ for our student rec center, my mom has a wii for Wii Fit and 3, I have a Wii with all the games I love, in addition to games like wii sports and EA Sports Active.

Considering the focus of the Wii for the entirety of its lifespan so far has to some extent been casual gaming, and considering as you said, profits and growth have been down in the last 3 years, would that not indicate that the casual market is failing Nintendo?

the casual crowd is subsidizing the 3DS?

well at least there have been a few bones tossed my way for the wii.....

i am happy. i think the your right that the casual and younger crowd made the wii the success it is.

maybe the market is saturated for more growth?

Level 46 Vs 44...*runs and hides*

Level 46 Vs 44...*runs and hides*

PA_DUTCH

somehow the "are you talkin to me? you talkin to me? cuz there is now one else here." only make me more terrified

Your post implies that the Wii needs to be saved :lol:

^^ I'm lost to where this thread recently headed.

I agree BUT I feel that the casual market does so well because nintendo puts alot of focus and energy there. I feel as if they cared more about their "hardcore gamers" they could have also been succesful in that area as well.

Considering the focus of the Wii for the entirety of its lifespan so far has to some extent been casual gaming, and considering as you said, profits and growth have been down in the last 3 years, would that not indicate that the casual market is failing Nintendo?

_BlueDuck_

No, the casual market is the only market that keeps the Wii afloat

When the Wii launched Zelda was bought for one out of every 3 consoles and it's unrealistic for that to stay pace while the number of units grow but when a game aimed at the casual like Wii Fit sells to almost 1 out of every 2 consoles and Zelda sells to one out of every 14 it's obvious who is letting the Wii down.

I don't know. Everyone I know that games solely on a Wii has no interest in upgrading their system when the next line comes out, just like a lot of people kept playing their PS2 long after the next generation was released. I think that's the major flaw in marketing to casuals. They're not going to care about graphical overhauls or bigger hard drives. Those that do will probably turn to the Kinect.

I don't hate the casual market, and I could be wrong, that's just the only problem I could see Nintendo having.

[QUOTE="_BlueDuck_"]

Considering the focus of the Wii for the entirety of its lifespan so far has to some extent been casual gaming, and considering as you said, profits and growth have been down in the last 3 years, would that not indicate that the casual market is failing Nintendo?

Jaysonguy

No, the casual market is the only market that keeps the Wii afloat

When the Wii launched Zelda was bought for one out of every 3 consoles and it's unrealistic for that to stay pace while the number of units grow but when a game aimed at the casual like Wii Fit sells to almost 1 out of every 2 consoles and Zelda sells to one out of every 14 it's obvious who is letting the Wii down.

Wait so if I buy a Wii know you expect me to go back and buy all the old games? Thats very anti casual of you Jason

Looking at the best selling software for the Wii this year it's obvious once again that Nintendo making the casual the core of the console is paying off (literally)

If we take out Wii Sports the three best selling titles so far this year are...

Wii Sports Resort
Just Dance 2
Wii Fit Plus

In a year where Nintendo's facing no growth in 3 years on the Wii, a sharp decline in profits, and a hardware launch that taxes the leverage of the company it's the casual that comes to the rescue and still supports the Wii day in and day out.

Some people say that Nintendo's true bread and butter is the Nintendo fan but as the Gamecube showed us they are not large enough nor loyal enough to keep a console afloat. The casuals were said to be a flash in the pan that would desert Nintendo but starting our 5th year with the Wii it's the casual who's the backbone.

There is no question that the next console will be aimed at them even more because they're the only group that didn't let Nintendo down, when software is made for them they've bought it in droves and unlike other smaller niches on the console they're don't have a "best time to buy" software either. You release software during the holidays and they buy it, you launch it in the spring and they buy it, mid summer software? That's bought too.

EDIT: To further expand my point the year that passed was supposed to be the year that had games for the Nintendo gamer but all of those titles fell off the map with Donkey Kong the only one that's hanging in the top ten at this point. Everything else was just passed by.

Who else is excited to see that the casual has become the most trustworthy and loyal customer when it comes to the Wii?

Jaysonguy

Thank you Captain Obvious!

We already know that casual games are what keep the Wii afloat and have made it a successful console so far.

Also, I'm ok with the next console having casual games as well. As you can see, that's starting to help out the 360 as well. I'm certain Microsoft's next console will not start off ignoring casuals like the 360 started off. So while Nintendo's next console may have a plethora of casual games also, I think there will be just as many core titles because it will have the POWER that many 3rd parties are looking for. So I can see the next Nintendo console having multiplatform titles that can compete in sales and have better overall quality compared to the competition. That wasn't the case this generation for the Wii.

[QUOTE="_BlueDuck_"]

Considering the focus of the Wii for the entirety of its lifespan so far has to some extent been casual gaming, and considering as you said, profits and growth have been down in the last 3 years, would that not indicate that the casual market is failing Nintendo?

Jaysonguy

No, the casual market is the only market that keeps the Wii afloat

When the Wii launched Zelda was bought for one out of every 3 consoles and it's unrealistic for that to stay pace while the number of units grow but when a game aimed at the casual like Wii Fit sells to almost 1 out of every 2 consoles and Zelda sells to one out of every 14 it's obvious who is letting the Wii down.

Actually wouldn't those figures be about right? The reason Nintendo has as many console sales as they do is because of the expansion of the casual market. The core gamer market out of that would be about the same or a little less than the Gamecube's was. So give how much you could guestimate the wii's core audience makes up that near 85mil, the sales for a core game like Zelda sound about right since most the people who got the Wii for Wii Fit never planned on buying games like zelda in the first place.

Of course this also would show a failure in bridging that casual market into the core market of games.

market is the only market that keeps the Wii afloat

When the Wii launched Zelda was bought for one out of every 3 consoles and it's unrealistic for that to stay pace while the number of units grow but when a game aimed at the casual like Wii Fit sells to almost 1 out of every 2 consoles and Zelda sells to one out of every 14 it's obvious who is letting the Wii down.

Jaysonguy

Since the casuals are not buying the core games, wouldn't that be the casuals who are letting the Wii down? Apparently the core gamers buy both types of games.

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

market is the only market that keeps the Wii afloat

When the Wii launched Zelda was bought for one out of every 3 consoles and it's unrealistic for that to stay pace while the number of units grow but when a game aimed at the casual like Wii Fit sells to almost 1 out of every 2 consoles and Zelda sells to one out of every 14 it's obvious who is letting the Wii down.

mrfokken

Since the casuals are not buying the core games, wouldn't that be the casuals who are letting the Wii down? Apparently the core gamers buy both types of games.

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

market is the only market that keeps the Wii afloat

When the Wii launched Zelda was bought for one out of every 3 consoles and it's unrealistic for that to stay pace while the number of units grow but when a game aimed at the casual like Wii Fit sells to almost 1 out of every 2 consoles and Zelda sells to one out of every 14 it's obvious who is letting the Wii down.

mrfokken

Since the casuals are not buying the core games, wouldn't that be the casuals who are letting the Wii down? Apparently the core gamers buy both types of games.

No, not at all

The core gamer on the Wii is the casual, they're the only one who buys all the software

The Nintendo fan doesn't care about supporting Nintendo and we've seen that from the Gamecube era, the jumps in smaller niche titles like Mario Galaxy and Zelda are from the casual. The casual has taken up some of the smaller titles. The Nintendo fans (and other small sections of the audience) haven't picked up the core software on the Wii.

It's the casual that's done all the heavy lifting, the casual is the only group that the Nintendo can count on from here going forward

No, not at all

The core gamer on the Wii is the casual, they're the only one who buys all the software

Jaysonguy

So the core gamers are saving the Wii?

if the casuals are actually buying so many of these games, doesnt that make them gamers :O?

[QUOTE="mrfokken"]

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

market is the only market that keeps the Wii afloat

When the Wii launched Zelda was bought for one out of every 3 consoles and it's unrealistic for that to stay pace while the number of units grow but when a game aimed at the casual like Wii Fit sells to almost 1 out of every 2 consoles and Zelda sells to one out of every 14 it's obvious who is letting the Wii down.

Jaysonguy

Since the casuals are not buying the core games, wouldn't that be the casuals who are letting the Wii down? Apparently the core gamers buy both types of games.

No, not at all

The core gamer on the Wii is the casual, they're the only one who buys all the software

The Nintendo fan doesn't care about supporting Nintendo and we've seen that from the Gamecube era, the jumps in smaller niche titles like Mario Galaxy and Zelda are from the casual. The casual has taken up some of the smaller titles. The Nintendo fans (and other small sections of the audience) haven't picked up the core software on the Wii.

It's the casual that's done all the heavy lifting, the casual is the only group that the Nintendo can count on from here going forward

Sure, casuals might be helping Nintendo make a lot of money now. But what about the 20 plus years before the Wii was released?

If it wasn't for the core gamers, people that've been supporting Nintendo since the NES, Nintendo wouldn't be in the position they're in now. Nintendo wouldn't have the worldwide success it has without the love and support of the core audience. All your praise for the casuals is kind of unjustified because core gamers always have been and always will be the backbone of the gaming industry. Casuals don't care about videogames the way core gamers do. Casuals don't know how to think for themselves and will go out on a limb and buy something just because it looks cool. Even if they don't research first they'll still buy something because they think they might like it, the ridiculous amount of sales for shovel ware are proof of that. To core gamers, videogames are more then just games, they're a part of our lives. Casuals may be a big part of Nintendo's financial success, but they're not the most important.

You can praise the casuals all you want, in the end it's the core gamers that will continue to drive the gaming industry forward.

go back to your bridge! lol j/k

excuse me nintendo can keep a console afloat they did it with nes and snes ,and their doing it now with wii ,

just because those are its highest selling games (i know alot of core gamers who play guitar hero and rockband and thier no different then just dance)

dont mean wii aint got other million sellers in fact it has 93 other million sellers 360 only has 112 or so , ps3 less then the both i forgot the number but eh ya

and nintendo wii still makes nintendo profit decline or not what do you expect tohappen when your at the top

ps2 declined but still sold more overall , and thats not what matters what matters to nintendo is profit- they makin loads ofi and lookin at 3ds , here comes the flood gates i already see 5 titles i want in the launch line alone , then including future titles thats more games i even own on ds atm , -which is 41

so that said nintendo wii may be selling less but its not hurting nintendo like gc and n64 were -ya n64 was agreat console and had more awsome games then bad but what do you want , that was a bad move this one is a good move because you see we need seperation between the 3 consoles and motion controls did that for wii as you see wii has more support for itsmotion controls then other platforms ,

and the reason i say this is because they have got to make different gamesd for all people,

and -- at the same time they dont want direct compeition which is smart lol 3 consoles aiming at one audience is recipe for disaster we already saw it with dreamcast among other units in fact atari caused 2 gaming crashes cause they didnt differ the games much ,

and if nintendo stayed on the graphics mean alot route-they would have fallen victim instead sony took its place,

because of mistakes but why is this even on the wii forums there is a place for this im suprised this isnt locked

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

[QUOTE="mrfokken"]

Since the casuals are not buying the core games, wouldn't that be the casuals who are letting the Wii down? Apparently the core gamers buy both types of games.

No, not at all

The core gamer on the Wii is the casual, they're the only one who buys all the software

The Nintendo fan doesn't care about supporting Nintendo and we've seen that from the Gamecube era, the jumps in smaller niche titles like Mario Galaxy and Zelda are from the casual. The casual has taken up some of the smaller titles. The Nintendo fans (and other small sections of the audience) haven't picked up the core software on the Wii.

It's the casual that's done all the heavy lifting, the casual is the only group that the Nintendo can count on from here going forward

Sure, casuals might be helping Nintendo make a lot of money now. But what about the 20 plus years before the Wii was released?

If it wasn't for the core gamers, people that've been supporting Nintendo since the NES, Nintendo wouldn't be in the position they're in now. Nintendo wouldn't have the worldwide success it has without the love and support of the core audience. All your praise for the casuals is kind of unjustified because core gamers always have been and always will be the backbone of the gaming industry. Casuals don't care about videogames the way core gamers do. Casuals don't know how to think for themselves and will go out on a limb and buy something just because it looks cool. Even if they don't research first they'll still buy something because they think they might like it, the ridiculous amount of sales for shovel ware are proof of that. To core gamers, videogames are more then just games, they're a part of our lives. Casuals may be a big part of Nintendo's financial success, but they're not the most important.

You can praise the casuals all you want, in the end it's the core gamers that will continue to drive the gaming industry forward.

I don't know what Jaysonguy is talking about ;), but I for one would like to see an expanded full-fledged sequal to the tank game in Wii Play, and would buy it on impulse. :D

The Wii is a great system for any type of gamer. And I know a lot of people know the DS has lots of shovelware but has many great games appealing to all types of gamers. I believe the same is true for the Wii. You just need to dig a little deeper. I find plenty of games I like on the Wii. I try to not focus on the games that don't appeal to me and instead on the ones that do. And in that light, the Wii is a great system.

I'm fine with Casual games selling a lot. It means Nintendo can spend more money on the bigger games like Zelda or Mario, and they can take chances, like with Other M.

what it makes me lol from jason's posts is that he mentions the gamecube as a failure, sure it didnt sell as good as th NES or the SNES, but it wasnt a total flop after all, a decent amount of games and consoles were sold.

Anyway, i would love to know which are the other top selling games besides those 3, im willing to say mario kart wii, NSMBWii, SMASH and mario galaxy are among them. These games, IMO are targeted at core audience (god i hate the core/casual terminology, but thats another issue). These games may not have sold as good as wii fit and wii sports, but you know what? these games were fun and, most importantly, a novelty.

Lets go back to the NES era, do you know what was also a novelty? the NES and super mario bros. (needless to say its one of the most entertaining games ever) Thats why it sold so good the NES, cause it was fresh, new and FUN... same applies for the wii and the motion controls; the games you mentioned are fresh, new and fun.

Does this means that nintendo is going to leave the core audience and focus and the casual market? Well, i would not say that; what i would say, is that nintendo will keep caring to make fun games.(3DS anyone?).

what it makes me lol from jason's posts is that he mentions the gamecube as a failure, sure it didnt sell as good as th NES or the SNES, but it wasnt a total flop after all, a decent amount of games and consoles were sold.

Anyway, i would love to know which are the other top selling games besides those 3, im willing to say mario kart wii, NSMBWii, SMASH and mario galaxy are among them. These games, IMO are targeted at core audience (god i hate the core/casual terminology, but thats another issue). These games may not have sold as good as wii fit and wii sports, but you know what? these games were fun and, most importantly, a novelty.

Lets go back to the NES era, do you know what was also a novelty? the NES and super mario bros. (needless to say its one of the most entertaining games ever) Thats why it sold so good the NES, cause it was fresh, new and FUN... same applies for the wii and the motion controls; the games you mentioned are fresh, new and fun.

Does this means that nintendo is going to leave the core audience and focus and the casual market? Well, i would not say that; what i would say, is that nintendo will keep caring to make fun games.(3DS anyone?).

Vikthorious

Nope, not at all

The Gamecube almost bankrupted Nintendo, that's how much of a disaster it was. This "oh well it made a profit" is bull. It's not about treading water it's about growing each and every year. There's a reason that Nintendo has been in panic mode the last few years because they've failed to grow at all in the last 3. A console isn't about how much it takes to make and then sell it for more, it's about making up a half decade of R&D costs and that's something the Gamecube never did.

The Gamecube did not grow the company, it damaged it and Nintendo needed a new handheld to save the company.

The Wii on the other hand made up for the R&D and made Nintendo a profit as well until it's growth stopped in 2008.

Also the "CORE AUDIENCE" on the Wii is the casual, that's the only one who has loyalty when it comes to Nintendo. They're the ones who don't have a best time to buy and they're also the ones that buy new and close to release.

Why do you care what's on the bottom of the list? It doesn't matter what sells less it matters what the strengths are and Nintendo's strength is the casual. They're the only group that hasn't deserted them.

The thing about "Nintendo makes games for everyone" is getting old too because it's completely missing the point.

A wheelchair can be used by everyone but it's designed for people who can't walk.

It's not about who can play the games it's about who are the games designed and marketed for. That's always been the casual in Nintendo's eyes because that's the only group that's sure to be there. There's always someone new to games and Nintendo knows this and has become the main place for casuals and children to start and when they grow tired of the company there's a whole new set of casuals and children to take up the slack.

There's a reason that Nintendo's strategy has been linked to the water and fishing, Nintendo fishes for casuals and children and when they reach a certain level they toss them and try to catch new ones. That's what their company is founded on, the new gamer.

I just find it facinating that it's paid off so well, the company was on the verge of financial collapse and it's the casuals after all these years of cultivating that saved them and from this point on has their back.

[QUOTE="mrfokken"]

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

market is the only market that keeps the Wii afloat

When the Wii launched Zelda was bought for one out of every 3 consoles and it's unrealistic for that to stay pace while the number of units grow but when a game aimed at the casual like Wii Fit sells to almost 1 out of every 2 consoles and Zelda sells to one out of every 14 it's obvious who is letting the Wii down.

Jaysonguy

Since the casuals are not buying the core games, wouldn't that be the casuals who are letting the Wii down? Apparently the core gamers buy both types of games.

No, not at all

The core gamer on the Wii is the casual, they're the only one who buys all the software

The Nintendo fan doesn't care about supporting Nintendo and we've seen that from the Gamecube era, the jumps in smaller niche titles like Mario Galaxy and Zelda are from the casual. The casual has taken up some of the smaller titles. The Nintendo fans (and other small sections of the audience) haven't picked up the core software on the Wii.

It's the casual that's done all the heavy lifting, the casual is the only group that the Nintendo can count on from here going forward

The Gamecube almost bankrupted Nintendo, that's how much of a disaster it was. This "oh well it made a profit" is bull. It's not about treading water it's about growing each and every year. There's a reason that Nintendo has been in panic mode the last few years because they've failed to grow at all in the last 3. A console isn't about how much it takes to make and then sell it for more, it's about making up a half decade of R&D costs and that's something the Gamecube never did.

Jaysonguy

This is a ridiculously good point, I never stopped to consider the millions that they pump into R&D for their next console, how much money they spend on ideas that never pan out, paying to research into features they never end up using, etc. People may disagree with you a lot, but I've rarely ever seen a point you've made that isn't spot on :O

Well according to Nintendo's financial statements, Nintendo's R&D has amounted to less than $500,000 each year before 2008. These expenses were charged against net income each year, so their net income reported at the end of each year takes into account their R&D expenses each year. With this in mind, I think we can say that it is inaccurate that the Gamecube nearly "bankrupted" Nintendo.

Every highly successful console makes its profit because of casual players, news at 11. It's just that the terms ,casual and hardcore' became complete nonsense in this generation. Stuff like GTA might be 18+ games, but most people of the huge amount buying it most likely don't have big gaming collections, don't post on internet boards about their games and don't give a dam about stuff like E3... people that only casually play videogames and bought it because the big brand. Now Nintendo has just expanded their casual gaming audience with Wii Fit and such.

I wish PS2, 360 and so on had a big audience of true hardcore gamers, then high quality software like the one made by Clover Studios/Platinum Games wouldn't permanently flop, while Ubisoft and Activsion make millions of average games that just happen to have the mainstream appeal.

Well according to Nintendo's financial statements, Nintendo's R&D has amounted to less than $500,000 each year before 2008. These expenses were charged against net income each year, so their net income reported at the end of each year takes into account their R&D expenses each year. With this in mind, I think we can say that it is inaccurate that the Gamecube nearly "bankrupted" Nintendo.

metswonin69

All I want from the next Nintendo console is stronger hardware and graphics that are or are nearly equivalent to that of the other competitive consoles. Then we will hopefully get a lot of the multiplats. If the Wii currently had stronger graphics and more multiplats i think the "so called gamer" would be getting it. (I only say gamer because according to all these Playstation fanboys you can't be a gamer and play Wii)

[QUOTE="metswonin69"]

Well according to Nintendo's financial statements, Nintendo's R&D has amounted to less than $500,000 each year before 2008. These expenses were charged against net income each year, so their net income reported at the end of each year takes into account their R&D expenses each year. With this in mind, I think we can say that it is inaccurate that the Gamecube nearly "bankrupted" Nintendo.

BrunoBRS

[QUOTE="BrunoBRS"][QUOTE="metswonin69"]

Well according to Nintendo's financial statements, Nintendo's R&D has amounted to less than $500,000 each year before 2008. These expenses were charged against net income each year, so their net income reported at the end of each year takes into account their R&D expenses each year. With this in mind, I think we can say that it is inaccurate that the Gamecube nearly "bankrupted" Nintendo.

locopatho

[QUOTE="metswonin69"]

Well according to Nintendo's financial statements, Nintendo's R&D has amounted to less than $500,000 each year before 2008. These expenses were charged against net income each year, so their net income reported at the end of each year takes into account their R&D expenses each year. With this in mind, I think we can say that it is inaccurate that the Gamecube nearly "bankrupted" Nintendo.

BrunoBRS

Not true

The DS saved Nintendo, the Gamecube hurt the company so badly that if the DS didn't succeed they would have left the game industry.

The idea that just because they don't sell hardware at a loss means that overall they have profit is a myth

[QUOTE="BrunoBRS"][QUOTE="metswonin69"]

Well according to Nintendo's financial statements, Nintendo's R&D has amounted to less than $500,000 each year before 2008. These expenses were charged against net income each year, so their net income reported at the end of each year takes into account their R&D expenses each year. With this in mind, I think we can say that it is inaccurate that the Gamecube nearly "bankrupted" Nintendo.

Jaysonguy

Not true

The DS saved Nintendo, the Gamecube hurt the company so badly that if the DS didn't succeed they would have left the game industry.

The idea that just because they don't sell hardware at a loss means that overall they have profit is a myth

[QUOTE="BrunoBRS"][QUOTE="metswonin69"]

Well according to Nintendo's financial statements, Nintendo's R&D has amounted to less than $500,000 each year before 2008. These expenses were charged against net income each year, so their net income reported at the end of each year takes into account their R&D expenses each year. With this in mind, I think we can say that it is inaccurate that the Gamecube nearly "bankrupted" Nintendo.

Jaysonguy

Not true

The DS saved Nintendo, the Gamecube hurt the company so badly that if the DS didn't succeed they would have left the game industry.

The idea that just because they don't sell hardware at a loss means that overall they have profit is a myth