Through March, the 3DS has sold 3.61 million units worldwide. All things considered, that figure is nothing to scoff at — but it is, however, below Nintendo’s projections. The company was expecting the 3DS to reach 4 million units sold by that point.
“The great earthquake largely affected the sales,” cites president Satoru Iwata. “We originally expected that the value of 3D images without the need for special glasses would be automatically spread to some extent by many consumers experiencing the device by themselves and … together with people around them.”
It seems word of mouth isn’t spreading as rapidly as Nintendo had hoped it would, which means more marketing is coming our way. “We need to do a lot more to convey the value to consumers,” says Iwata. Expect a big push, particularly toward the end of May for the much-anticipated eShop.
Nintendo also believes — as a result of market research — that a lot of you are waiting for more games to come out. And by “games,” I basically mean Ocarina of Time 3D, since quite a few of the other notable titles on the horizon have to-be-announced dates. Can’t say I blame y’all; Pilotwings Resort and Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars can only get you so far. One day, we’ll be as happy as that dude up there. Promise.
Iwata: 3DS Selling Below Expectations, Company Recommitting To Promotion [Gamasutra]
