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Nintendo Claims UK Hardware Dominance
by David Jenkins [Console/PC, Mobile Console]
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November 29, 2006
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Officials from Nintendo UK have claimed that the company has become the “2006 UK market leader in video games hardware surpassing all competition in both the home console and handheld console markets”.
The comments are accompanied by data from independent sales tracking company Chart-Track, which shows that a total of two million Nintendo DS consoles have been sold in the country, from a total of seven million in Europe as a whole.
The turnaround for the success of the Nintendo DS format is stated to be the DS Lite hardware revision, with the five months since its release seeing a steady increase in sales to the point where Chart-Track estimate that it is now outselling the PSP by a ratio of 2.5:1.
According to Nintendo’s own figures, software titles including Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? (aka Brain Age) Animal Crossing: Wild World and New Super Mario Bros. have all sold over one million copies across Europe (specific figures for the UK were not given). An earlier press release from the company had suggested that Nintendogs had sold over four million copies in Europe.
David Yarnton, general manager, Nintendo UK commented: “The ability of Nintendo DS to appeal to both gamers and non-gamers alike through an exciting, fun and innovative portfolio of software has been instrumental in its success in the UK, with many more Touch! Generations games launching this year and into 2007, Nintendo DS will continue to be the main driving force behind the expansion of the video game market this year.”
The claims are particularly notable because the UK has traditionally been one of Nintendo’s weakest global markets, dating back to the 8-bit era, where the late release of the NES gave it only a niche audience in Britain.
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