Once upon a time, either here on Infendo or in the clandestine back channels of the Infendo staff offices (read: gmail), I predicted that in 2007, we would see one of the major print magazines like BusinessWeek or Wired run a cover story about the resurgence of Nintendo.
It came a bit earlier than even my fanboyish self could have predicted. Fortune has a huge article on Nintendo up right now, and the cover is over there, to the right.
The gravy:
While game consoles typically attract youngish males with an antisocial streak, the Wii is bringing people of all demographics together: in nursing homes, for Wii bowling leagues, on cruise ships, at coed (!) Wii-themed parties and, of course, in lines – as hordes of consumers clamor to buy the impossible-to-find $250 machine. Nintendo is churning out over a million units a month and still can’t meet demand.
Game. Set. Match? Not quite, especially six months into the long haul. But damn, that’s some sweetness right der.
From Joystiq: "Taking a look at Nintendo's finances, the company generated over $8.26 billion in revenue last year, or $2.5 million for each of its 3,400 employees. By comparison, Google's employees generated $994,000 each, while Microsoft's staff scraped in just $624,000. Exchange rates and fiscal calendars complicate the comparison, but the difference is still striking."
Amazing. Not just because I like boring business news, but because it reflects how well Nintendo's DS and Wii are selling as game systems. Critique 'em all you want (and I do), but early figures like that suggest it's fun and games.
This is wonderful news for Nintendo and it's fans. It's nice to see them getting so much attention. I hope they keep up the good work and don't get complacent.
Wii hasn't won yet.. Not by a long shot. How does 6-8 months of success determine the success in 5 years?
It should have been titled, How the Wii is winning. Right now, the Wii/DS combo is bringing in much more $$$ for Nintendo. Sony and Microsoft are still selling their consoles, although they need to continue to sell for 5+ years to make a profit. Nintendo is all about making a profit from day 1. That is why they are winning.
LOL, those financial magazines are as reliable as weblogs when it comes to declare a winner in the console competition.
JUST LOL.
I think Shinn is right. Yes, the Wii is a surprise hit and a huge commercial success for Nintendo (due to it costing only $4.00 to manufacture*) but 6 months of spectacular sales a succeess does not make.
*possibly not true
:o)