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GameCube Sales Continue to Surge Following Price Drop to $99Posted on Tuesday, November 04, 2003 @ 09:08:58 am E.S.T
In the video game industry, momentum has a new name: Nintendo GameCube. In just 35 days of availability at a new manufacturer's suggested retail price of
$99.99, Nintendo GameCube has more than quadrupled its sales rate and grabbed 18 points of market share from its two competitors.
Sales figures gathered from the nation's largest retailers show
that Nintendo GameCube effectively doubled its market share to 37
percent from 19 percent. The system now runs a strong second in the
U.S. market as it challenges for leadership during the important
holiday sales season.
"In a tough economy, we've found the sweet spot on pricing, and
players are grabbing Nintendo GameCube systems off the shelves at the
fastest rate since the console's debut," says George Harrison, senior
vice president of marketing and corporate communications, Nintendo of
America. "With an $80 price advantage over other systems and the
impending launch of the mega-hit Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, this offer
is just too good to resist."
Harrison announced the dramatic sales figures today during Harris
Nesbitt Gerard's Playtime 2003 Investor Conference in New York.
Nintendo has been on a roll on a number of fronts and the statistics
bear this out.
When combined with the Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo is responsible for half of all system sales to date in 2003. In addition, Nintendo game systems are the only ones to show a year-to-date increase in sales compared with 2002. Game Boy Advance sales are up 25 percent from 2002, while Nintendo GameCube sales are 2 percent above last year. In contrast, sales for Microsoft's Xbox dropped 3 percent and Sony's PlayStation 2 dropped 17.5 percent(Note A).
To keep the momentum going, Nintendo's holiday lineup includes a
strong series of games, including Mario Kart: Double Dash!!,
the season's expected monster seller. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! raises
the bar for competitive game play by letting players choose their
karts and two characters - one to drive, one to toss weapons or swipe
them from other players. The pair can even switch places during the
race to maximize strategy. The game is Rated E for Everyone and will
be available Nov. 17 at an MSRP of $49.99.
With its amazing graphics and realistic depiction of wild weather
conditions, the new 1080: Avalanche snowboarding game will be a big
hit, while Mario Party 5 builds on a successful franchise to bring
family fun to an electronic version of classic board games. Both games
are Rated E for Everyone and will be available at an MSRP of $49.99.
Mario Party 5 launches Nov. 11, while 1080: Avalanche will be
available Dec. 1. More than 320 games for the Nintendo GameCube and
550 games for the Game Boy Advance will be available by the end of the
year.
The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive
entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and
markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video
game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the best-selling Game Boy Advance and Nintendo GameCube systems extend Nintendo's vast game library and continue the tradition of delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games for players of all ages. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.8 billion video games globally,
creating enduring industry icons such as Mario and Donkey Kong and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid, Zelda and Pokemon. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere.
Note A: Data source: NPD TRSTs, September 2003 Posted By: Chris Pereira - 191 Reads
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