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Japanese Wii Launch: Zelda gets served by Wii Sports photo

Our good buddy NamelessTed passed along a rather interesting bit of news that was posted over at Wired that shows the software sales numbers in detail. Apparently, Wii Sports and Wii Play both outsold Twilight Princess. Wii Sports sold 176.167 copies, making it the best-selling Wii game in Japan over the weekend launch. Wii Play, the bundled game with an extra Wiimote sold 174,297 copies to become the runner-up in game sales. However, the big shocker here was that the bronze medal went to the hands-down dominant seller here in the U.S.; Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess with 139,011 copies sold.

Also within the sales numbers, you'll find that the ratio between games-to-console was almost 2:1 (it came out to 1.8.) Big daddy pimp Hamtaro best shows my reaction when I first read this news. Don't get me wrong, I love Wii Sports, but I was extremely surprised to see a qualtiy title such as Zelda get owned by a very simplistic "demonstration" title. Nevertheless, I'm sure that Zelda will eventually outsell them both as more consoles become available later on. Keep watchin' the numbers to see if my hunch is correct.


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17 comments | showing # 1 to 17

DeusPayne's Avatar
DeusPayne at 12/05/2006 10:44
I would expect Wii Play to sell that well. I'm sure it probably would have outsold Zelda here just for the fact that it comes with a bundled remote.
Snaileb 's Avatar
Snaileb at 12/05/2006 10:46
I eat baby hamsters.
Dexter345's Avatar
Dexter345 at 12/05/2006 11:03
This isn't that surprising. Going off the success of the DS in Japan, I honestly think the Wii is actually going to "work" there like Nintendo wants it to, i.e. nongamers (or those who were nongamers prior to the DS) are going to buy the thing. I doubt it'll happen here, but you know those Japanese people. They're crazy like that.
dukerayburn's Avatar
dukerayburn at 12/05/2006 11:15
Why wouldn't Wii Play outsell Zelda? It comes with an additional Wii Remote, so at about $50 you figure the game only costs $10. Not a bad deal.

And Nintendo has been much more successful at opening new markets in Japan than they have in the US. There are more non-traditional gamers there, and naturally many of those people will not be drawn to hardcore experiences such as Zelda.


Winston Churchill's Avatar
Winston Churchill at 12/05/2006 11:20
I think Wii Sports would have done the same in the US, were it not bundled. When it comes to new technology, it's best to have the software designed specifically for it. SM64 springs to mind.
Toneman's Avatar
Toneman at 12/05/2006 11:20
Sex makes babies?!?!
Ishaan's Avatar
Ishaan at 12/05/2006 11:25
SAAVAAAAAAAAANT!
BlindsideDork's Avatar
BlindsideDork at 12/05/2006 11:35
Dexter345, it won't "work" here? Are you in the US?

Why won't it? At my work there are people who haven't played games since NES days cause two many buttons and other reasons and they are now trying to get a Wii for Christmas. I know other people who don't play video games but want one or at least play it.

So as for the US, I think it is "working" too.
5lectro's Avatar
5lectro at 12/05/2006 11:53
Just FYI, japan doesn't really care about the zelda series as much as europe & the usa do.
On the other hand, they love minigames & alternative stuff about as much as we seem to love madden & fifa.
Namelessted's Avatar
Namelessted at 12/05/2006 12:28
I would have to strongly disagree with Churchill. I think the reason they bundled Wii Sports with the US boxes is because Nintendo thought that the sales for that game would be weak. They basically jacked up the price $50 and made us get the game. Its a really fun game and I am glad they did that but i would bet that a LOT of people would have never bought it at launch otherwise. Everybody wanted Zelda and maybe some other game with it.
Ishaan's Avatar
Ishaan at 12/05/2006 12:37
We need to ban Ted from posting. He's going to scare all our readers away. Every time I look at that avatar, my knee jerk reaction is to check Vent/Gmail for Ted, and if he isn't on, to check my window to see if he's trying to crawl into my room through it.
Winston Churchill's Avatar
Winston Churchill at 12/05/2006 12:41
My word against yours Ted. Alas, there is no way to find out.
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 12/05/2006 13:00
I probably would've considered it.

It is just a demo, but considering that it's just deep enough to where I can play Tennis against my mom, and have her win, it saved Thanksgiving from erupting into drunken fistfights and cutting remarks about why I'm still single...

That said, I've cooled my interest for WiiPlay, simply because I don't want another Wiimote, honestly. I've got two now, and if there's Mario Party or Kart to be had, people had better be rolling their own at that point. I'm not about to go into massive debt just so my drinking buddies can see how far they can heave a $40 strapless remote from their showerhead like hands.

BlindsideDork's Avatar
BlindsideDork at 12/05/2006 13:10
I think I kind of agree with Ted. I am not 100% sure I would've bought the game if it wasn't packaged with it. But I am glad they did.
snotrocket's Avatar
snotrocket at 12/05/2006 13:27
I would be more inclined to buy almost any game if it came with an extra wiimote. Almost everyone gets a second wiimote and throw in a game for a few bucks more, yea I'll pick it up.
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar
deiga-the-semivaliant at 12/05/2006 13:31
Hamtaro FTW.




Honestly, I hated the show. But they were so damn cute!
paranoid android's Avatar
paranoid android at 12/05/2006 14:22
I think it reveals that more casual gamers bought the Wii than serious RPG gamers. Which is what Nintendo wants anyways. I expect many more casual and easy games to go into development.
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