The Wii seems to be keeping a steady path in the world of game consoles. Based on my readings across many magazines and some statistics I’ve been tracking it seems the Wii Sports Resort game has sold close to 4.5 million units. This means that at least as many homes have decided to jump-in and buy the accuracy-boosting Wii MotionPlus attachment. This could also mean consumers could have bought more games that will use the MotionPlus as in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.
The introduction of the MotionPlus has kept sales at a good level for Nintendo. And even more important that Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are introducing their own motion control devices this year. This is all good, however Nintendo needs to do much better for the third-party eco-system around them. There are tons of game developers and content publishers out there that could help Wii stretch even more their revenues. A way for Nintendo to unearth new business models. Third-party Wii titles are not showing up in the top 10 list. Not good for publishers and not good for gamers that will eventually get tired of Mario, Zelda, etc.
Microsoft and Sony, however, have established a great application store channel for third-parties, developers and content publishers, and they have really done well with that.
My advice to Nintendo is to start opening up their platform to more third-parties. Yes they’ve sold a great experience to all of us (and I love it), families, kids and adults, but need to open the door to developers and content providers more. Don’t limit your audience! The world is moving more and more to a Web 3.0 model. Get on board and enjoy the ride!
