Another Nintendo myth debunked: Wii sold the most third party games in first 20 months
Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 7:48am by Jack
Today, we learn that the venerable Wii, supposed anathema to third party publishers the world over, has in fact sold more third party software in its first 20 months than either the PS3 or the Xbox 360.
The news was first pushed out by Nintendo, and was rightfully criticized as company spin. Then, GameDaily did a little legitimate journalism and dug into the data, and had NPD swoop in for the win.
[W]hen GameDaily BIZ contacted The NPD Group for more data, we discovered that for the first 20 months on the market for each console the Wii comparatively sold several million more units of third-party software in the U.S. than either the Xbox 360 or PS3. More specifically, the Wii sold 33 million units of third-party software in its first 20 months, while the Xbox 360 sold 29 million units and the PS3 sold 20 million units.
Oh, and when you remove Wii Play from those numbers, the third party ratio shoots up to about 62% of total software. It’s not the 80% that the PS3 or Xbox 360 enjoy, but then again I’d rather have Nintendo first party IP balancing things out with a 50-50 or 60-40 ratio on my console any day of the week.
So, tell me this morning, what’s left in the Wii hate bag? Wii Music? Something else? Seriously, I got nothing.
August 11th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Well gotta remember people buy shovelware and shovelware is 3rd party.
August 11th, 2008 at 8:36 am
Most of those sales are ports and the trend will only increase now that Nintendo decided to port Animal Crossing from the DS to the Wii. I hope thats enough hate for all y’all out there.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Oh the clever Wii troll will state that these sales validate the 3rd parties’ approaches of giving the Wii platform effortless garbage.
But yes these numbers are very damning for the Wii-deniers. They can jawbone all they want about demographics and non-gamers but the cold hard facts and the cold hard cash hit like a freight train to investors and publishers.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Here’s the thing. In much of the 360s first 20 months, it had NO current gen competition. Yet, the Wii still outsold it in 3rd party software. That’s pretty impressive.
Also, The wii is selling more 3rd party software even considering it’s 3rd party games likely have a much lower average score. Imagine how much more 3rd party software will sell on the Wii if the Wii ever gets AAA 3rd party titles. It’s crazy to even think about it.
And I think the last thing in the Wii-hate bag is game quality. Reading sites like kotaku, when the haters see this chart, they’ve said a couple of things:
1. “But what about game quality? Sales don’t mean anything if the games suck!”
2. “But what about install base, the Wii has way more systems out there than the 360 did so it’s not fair!”
WHHHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
August 11th, 2008 at 9:28 am
Yeah tie ratios mean diddily-dick once you zoom past in both install base and software sales. Both things the Wii has done. It’s like a prospector counting his remaining teeth and saying 50% of them are molars compared to your 37%
August 11th, 2008 at 9:33 am
So here’s two things for the Wii-haters to munch on:
1. I’ve seen it suggested that the sharp rise in the Wii graph is Guitar Hero 3. Seems odd that a game available across all platforms sells well enough to have that kind of effect. That points to Wii being a strong third-party system.
2. Install base and attach rate comparisons are meaningless. They are what publishers look at when deciding what systems to publish games on only because they can be used to help estimate eventual sales. Sales = attach rate x install base, so a high attach rate makes up for a low install base and vice versa. This graph shows straight away that the Wii’s massive install base now outweighs the 360’s higher attach rate when it comes to third party sales.
There is now only one hurdle the Wii has to leap, the “but this type of game doesn’t sell on Wii” problem. If The Conduit is a million seller then that one will go the way of the dodo too.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:47 am
The haters, I’ve noticed, now changing their tune and saying that the average PS3 or 360 games sells more ON AVERAGE than the PS2.
When told that this is because the PS3 and 360 get more AAA level games that are intended to sell more, which will obviously raise the average, you will simply be told you’re wrong. Thus, it is apparently a valid point to compare sales of Mercury Meltdown Revolution or Zack & Wiki to Call of Duty 4.
BECAUSE IF A GAME ISN’T A MILLION SELLER, IT MEANS IT FLOPPED!
Total moving of the goal posts.
August 11th, 2008 at 9:48 am
“The haters, I’ve noticed, now changing their tune and saying that the average PS3 or 360 games sells more ON AVERAGE than the PS2.”
durr hurr hurr. That should be Wii, not PS2.
…still too early.
August 11th, 2008 at 10:54 am
I wonder what that graph would look like if you removed all the 12 and under games…..
August 11th, 2008 at 10:55 am
I’m curious: We’re PS2/Xbox haters ever this defensive?
August 11th, 2008 at 11:38 am
There was no need to be defensive, the Gamecube wasn’t a threat to there way of life. They were the ones bashing Nintendo, fueling the rage now being unleashed by Nintendo fanboys.
August 11th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I remember there was a defensive reaction when the PS1 came on the scene from Nintendo and Sega fans, but it was NOTHING like the vitriolic hatred that the Wii seems to be inspiring from the “Playstation Generation”.
I’m sure that has something to do with the upfront presence of the internet now, but still.
More and more, I’ve just been telling these kids to sit down, shut up and enjoy it while you can. Sea change happens, whether you like it or not.
Lord knows *I* didn’t like it when the PS1 came on the scene loaded with sports titles and games that were essentially trying to be movies, all at the expense of platformers, beat ‘em ups and shoot ‘em ups that we in the “Nintendo generation” so throughly enjoyed.
August 11th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
And now Microsoft is saying Nintendo is wrong, because more software has been sold for the 360 than for the Wii.
They don’t even acknowledge that all Nintendo is saying is:
a) 3rd party games sell A LOT on Wii.
b) 3rd party games have sold more in the Wii’s 1st 20 months than the 360’s or PS3’s 1st 20 months.
SPIN FACTOR +4 for Microsoft. Will Sony issue a response as well?
August 11th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Is that little crossover the point in time where Guitar Hero 3 hit Wii?
As far as the Wii hate bag goes…
There’s still storage, I guess.
August 11th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
“I wonder what that graph would look like if you removed all the 12 and under games…..”
Let’s move the goalposts, fellas! Can’t have the Wii succeeding! Now let’s see how many were sold in Akron, Ohio. Holy Mackerel! Genesis pulls ahead!
August 12th, 2008 at 8:48 am
The sudden spike in software sales just over 12 months after the Wii was released was due to Holiday 2007 sales.
August 12th, 2008 at 9:45 am
This isn’t really anything the crap E3 conference didn’t tell us.
The only thing left in my hate bag is storage, which is starting to become a problem for me among thousands of others. Even if I bought nothing but SBCG4AP for the next quarter I’ll still be way out of storage space.