First-Party and Third-Party Software Sales

There has been an ongoing discussion about the relative strengths of first-party and third-party software sales on the Wii.

But luckily, Mr. Iwata's recent Nintendo presentation provides some data to illuminate this specific issue.

In particular, Nintendo would argue that there is plenty of room in the Wii market for both strong first-party and third-party sales.

Keep in mind that the data shown below is for the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and Xbox 360 owned after 23 months on the market, and only in the United States.

First, we have the slide shown below which gives first-party software sales.

Note that this data does not cover the entire lifespan of the Xbox 360, but it does show a dramatic increase in first-party software sales in the 23^rd month.

That bump is certainly the launch of Halo 3 in September 2007. The bump in the Wii graph at month 17 is the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Nintendo also provides this graph, showing third-party software sales in the U.S.

Perhaps the most recognizable feature on this graph is the increase in Wii third-party sales between months 12 and 13. That increase is probably due in large part to the launch of Guitar Hero III on the Wii at the end of October and through November of 2007.

On the PlayStation 3 curve there appears to be a much smaller bump in June 2008 due to the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4.