Came out late 2006, the Wii is a console phenomenon whose success has taken the industry by surprise and surprised many professionals in the sector. We tend to forget it today but the success of the Wii was far from certain. The shape but also the name of the console were strange and nothing like what one would generally expect from a console aimed at the gaming community – especially since its power didn’t seem to differ much from that of the GameCube, the previous generation Nintendo console… But once morest all odds, the console will smash sales records and reshuffle the cards in the video game market. A resounding success that many observers will credit to Wii Sportsa game that was literally one with the Wii and which was also necessarily sold with the console – in Europe and the United States at least.
In a recent book, Reggie Fils-Aimeformer boss of Nintendo of America, explains that at the start, Wii Sports was not to be sold as a bundle with the Wii, Satoru Iwatapresident of Nintendo and above all, Shigeru Miyamoto opposed it. For Shigeru Miyamotoit was an end of not receiving. Wii Sports was not designed for this and for “the Master”, Nintendo “did not give his games“. Period. But Reggie Fils-Aime was sure of himself. The Wii had to come with a game that might embody it. The former president of NOA reveals that there were then moments of tension – but, it seems, always with respect for each other. To find a compromise, Shigeru Miyamoto then developed a game specifically to be bundled with the console: Wii Play. But for Reggie Fils-Aimethe counter-proposal was not satisfactory because Wii Play was not “a complete experience” contrary to Wii Sports.
Ultimately, Satoru Iwata decided, considering that the Japanese and Western markets were different justifying distinct approaches. It was decided that Wii Sports would only be sold as a bundle with the console in the United States and Europe but not in Japan. As for Wii Play, he found himself sold exclusively with a Wiimote. Thus, the first game would demonstrate the experience Wii and the second that of the Wiimote. A choice that visibly displeased Shigeru Miyamoto even if the success was at the rendezvous. Today, sales of the Wii are stabilized at 101.63 copies and those of Wii Sports to 82.9 million copies– mainly thanks to bundles. For autan, would the fates of the console and the game have been different if Wii Sports had not been sold as standard with the Wii ? It’s hard to say, especially since later it will be said that a large part of the owners of the Wii will hardly buy other games, being content with Wii Sports and some titles like Wii Play (Perfect, to get an extra controller.)
Note that recently Wii Sports is back – or almost. In effect, Nintendo Switch Sports is available on Nintendo Switch from April 29, 2022. For more details see our dedicated news et our complete test.
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