Wii Sells 600K Units in First Week

November 27, 2006 | By: James Brightman

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It's officially a strong start for the new Nintendo console. Nintendo has proclaimed that its Wii system has already sold over 600,000 units during the first week. If Nintendo can keep this pace up in the Americas as well as in Japan and Europe, it will certainly be a happy holiday season for Mario and co.

While Sony's supply has been far more constrained and SCEA has yet to disclose how many PlayStation 3 units have been sold to date, Nintendo today proudly announced that in its first week of availability the Wii console has sold more than 600,000 units in the Americas. According to the company, "That's a rate of nearly one per second continuously since the Nov. 19 launch. Including just first-party software and accessory sales, Wii instantly has become a $190 million business in the Americas."

"Even with sales already in excess of 600,000 units, demand continues to exceed supply, as it's clear this is one of the 'gotta-have' products for the holiday season," commented Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "We've shipped retailers several times the amount of hardware the other company was able to deliver for its launch around the same time - and we still sold out. Given the inclusive nature of Wii game play, we're seeing this new form of video gaming is already a huge hit with gamers and newcomers alike. It continues to be a phenomenal launch."

Wii Sports is likely the most played game since it comes bundled with the system, but The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess can't be far behind as it's sold more than 454,000 units in the Americas, which accounts for over 75 percent of all hardware purchasers.

Third parties supporting the Wii seem to be pleased so far as well. EA Studio President Paul Lee said, "Madden NFL 07 is a great example of how the Wii gives players a whole new experience on their favorite games. EA's creative teams are working to build more Wii features into some of our most popular franchises."

"The creativity we've been able to unleash on the Wii system with our game Red Steel has been eye-opening for our development teams," remarked Ubisoft President Laurent Detoc. "Having the opportunity to design and develop entirely new game-play experiences using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk is both exciting and rewarding."

With 600,000 already sold, it's not hard to imagine Nintendo hitting the 1 million mark that Fils-Aime alluded to last week. The NoA president expects 1 million to be shipped by early December, with close to 2 million by early January. On a global basis, the company has repeatedly said it intends to ship 4 million by the end of this year.