Nintendo expects Wii U sales to reach 5 million by March 2013, Wii U Daily can confirm.
Nintendo released a financial report today which includes forecasts on future home console sales. However, the sales forecast also includes the new Wii U console. The company predicts that in the upcoming fiscal year, which runs from April 2012 to March 2013, Wii and Wii U sales will reach 10,500,000 consoles. You can find the full report here.
While Nintendo didn’t break down how much they expect the new Wii U to sell compared to the Wii, Wii U Daily managed to get a statement from a Nintendo source who was present at the analyst briefings in Osaka yesterday. The source told Wii U Daily that Nintendo expects those 10 million in consoles sales will be a “roughly 50/50 split between the Wii and Wii U”, with the Wii accounting for most its sales leading up to the Wii U launch in Q4 2012. This puts Nintendo’s Wii U sales estimate at 5 million for the first 5 months on the market. While this doesn’t sound like much compared to previous Nintendo console launches, the company has a history of conservative forecasts when it comes to new consoles. Back in 2006, its estimates for the original Wii were far off, with the console selling many time more than Nintendo anticipated. This led to Wii shortages for over 6 months.
Wii U Daily reported earlier this month that the Wii U launch date has been set for November 18, 2012.
Software wise, Nintendo’s forecasts Wii and Wii U software to sell 70 million units from April 2012 to March 2013. However, we could not confirm how many of those software units will be attributed to the Wii U.
Nintendo also confirmed that Nintendo Network, its much anticipated online service, will launch with the Wii U later this year. Nintendo Network will offer multiplayer gaming, digital distribution, social apps, and more, for the Wii U and 3DS.
