The Wii U has been on the market for 8 months now and despite a strong start, the console has failed to make an impression on the average consumer. Nintendo has been very careful about not assuming blame for the Wii U’s current failure to be widely adopted by console gamers. Now in an interview with CNBC, Iwata finally admits that Nintendo hasn’t done all it could to ensure the console’s success.
“We are to blame. We relaxed our (marketing) efforts, so the consumers today still cannot understand what’s so good and unique about the Wii U. Because we’re always trying to be unique, it takes some energies on our side to (help) people understand the real attractions about whatever we are doing.”
This is very true, as during the first three months of the console’s release very few commercials were released showing off the Wii U’s capabilities. Those that were created made it seem as if the Wii U was an upgrade to the Wii, instead of a stand-alone device. The Wii had original marketing that was everywhere, so seeing Nintendo admit failure from a marketing standpoint is definitely a step in the right direction.
One of the many points people bring up when discussing how Nintendo could ease consumer adoption of the Wii U is to opt for a price cut. However, the already frugally priced Wii U comes in at $299 and $349 respectively, making it hard to cut any more from the price. Iwata admits as much in the interview:
“Because from the very beginning we came up with a very aggressive price point. We do not think [a price cut] is a very easy option to take.”
Now that Nintendo has admitted its mistakes in marketing the Wii U, hopefully we can see them take the proper steps to correct these mistakes and get consumers on the right track. If you’re interested in reading the full interview with Iwata, you can check it out here.
