GTA IV to give Wii A Run For It's Money?
Sick of all the GTA news that's been hitting recently? Well, too bad! Rockstar have not only taken control of the gaming media, but also the gaming market, with impressive sales to the sum of around $US 400 million and nearly every gaming shop I have ventured into having low or sold out stock. So sadly we're going to be hearing about it for a long time to come. But is all this attention taking the limelight away from the other belle of the ball, Nintendo's money maker the Wii? According to Forbe's Brian Caulfield it may be so.
Caulfield in his article ponders and asks if the lack of GTA IV on the Wii will impact and slow down the sales of the machine as a result. He doesn't go as far as to give a definitive answer, but makes some strong points for the theory. The biggest is the fact that as much as Nintendo wants to deny it, there is still a huge market for "traditional" IP, such as the GTA series, which was unable to be put on the system due to technical restraints, missing out on a slice of the multi-million pie. And it's pretty much a system seller (I have talked with a few people who have brought a PS3 solely for GTA IV), with one analyst in the piece stating the sad truth:
"It's one of a series of good games that will each convince consumers that there is alot of good content on the other boxes"
The article also highlights the two strong points that both the xbox 360 and PS3 have over the Wii, using GTA IV as the prime example: The 360 with it's robust and strong online presence offering good multilayer and plenty of DLC, and the PS3 is a next-gen movie player that offers the best possible visual experience out of the two consoles. He does note that "the Wii won't die, for sure...".
Could this be the end of Nintendo's stranglehold on the video game world? Or will not having one major title not matter in the grand scheme of things? Only time will tell.
How Grand Theft Auto Threatens The Wii [Forbes]
[Via Kotaku]
Mr.Mog!
Posted to Video Games on 5 May 2008
· Comments (7)
Other stuff like this: gta, nintendo, rockstar, wii
Really? I thought Mario Kart was giving the PS3 and 360 a run for its money: http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/videogames/ref=pd_ts_c_th_more?&pf_rd_p=304529601&pf_rd_s=right-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=468642&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0D5D8G8YPBE92BDBDG3B
Caulfield does a foolish analysis. Apples to oranges - different markets.
I have no grudge against the Wii, IMO it's a fine little system, but why is it you Wii boys only use the term "Different Market" whenever something outshines the Wii. Otherwise you guys constantly argue that the Wii is equal too both PS3/360, unless something once again comes along to showcase Wii's flaws and the fanboys once again cry "Different Market".
Doesn't get much better accross the pond, my local store has sold over 1,500 copies of GTA IV, the big store in the town centre has sold god knows how many more.
It is the single biggest launch of any game ever, coming in at well over a million here in the UK, big, big numbers.
Wii, that dusty white thing you can play Tennis on yes?.
Hey Nintendo, why not take the time to bring back an old series and put something like, I dunno "Effort" into it, and not put out that new Mario Sport / Party game okay?
I don't believe it really matters in the end. All systems have their strong points as well as their weaknesses. There's no denying that the 360 does really well online, and that the PS3 is a really cheap and effective HD content player with its Blurray drive.
I am surprise with the number of sales GTA4 manages to acquire considering the number of other high profile games out in the past year. This will hurt the Wii for sure, likewise as it did with Halo3 and Bioshock, and I'm sure games such as Final Fantasy 13 and MGS will do the same.
But I think it really comes down to a fight between PS3 vs 360, than the Wii itself. Most people would have brought a Wii, and then one of the other two system - PS3 or 360 for games such as this.
Maybe there are too many people willing to see the downfall of Nintendo now that they have had the limelight for a while now. Nothing last forever so it's just a matter of when, but I don't believe one game will do it.
I own a Wii and a 360, and while I don't care much for a PS3 at the moment I know I will buy one somewhere down the line.
I play my Wii when I want to play something that isn't available on the other consoles (lets face it for all the people out there have to admit that Nintendo IP products are still very fun games), and when I want to play something a little more mainstream I move to my 360. It varies on my mood.
I am currently shamelessly addicted to Mario Kart Wii and since I don't much care for the GTA series outside of the bargin bin I will be waiting a year when it's $15.
croxis, maybe in amazon mario kart seems more popular because they divided the demand for GTA4 by console.
anywho, it don't matter. i never liked the gta series, but good for them.