Wii in Trouble: Iwata Says “Wii has Stalled”

You can cool those “printing money” and “we’re rich as f—” jokes now, as Nintendo is coming to terms with a stagnating Wii. Speaking to analysts and investors, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said the “Wii has stalled,” according to a translation by Andria Sang. “We were unable to continually release strong software, and let the nice mood cool.” Another report from Sankei Shimbun quotes Iwata as saying, “We were unable to show a new game to become ‘the next thing.’” For the six-month period ending September 30, the company’s profits dropped for the first time in four years. The Nintendo DS continues to do well, at least from what I’ve seen in North America, but overall Wii sales dropped 43 percent from last year, causing Nintendo to lower its sales forecasts.

Still, Iwata is optimistic, saying that price cuts will boost sales, even if they don’t reach the levels of last year. Indeed, it ultimately comes down to the software, and no matter what Nintendo comes up with, I think it’ll be hard for the company to match the hysteria of Wii Fit, Wii Sports, Mario Kart Wii and Super Mario Galaxy. New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which is due in North America on November 15, will help, but Nintendo really needs bigger long-term plans to get its groove back. [via Andria Sang]