If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Wii U allocation tilted to US

Ubisoft CEO says Nintendo appears to be sending more units of hardware to US than other countries

The first country to get the Wii U will also get the most units of the new Nintendo hardware, it seems. Speaking in a post-earnings investor conference call today, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot carefully fielded a question about how he believes Nintendo is allocating its launch hardware between countries.

"The US seems to be having more machines than the other countries, but that's the only thing I can say," Guillemot said.

Regional allocations could be a touchy topic for Nintendo in light of the original Wii launch. That system was an instant sell-out upon its launch in 2006, and remained in short supply for the next year, a situation Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime lamented as a "missed opportunity." Things may be different this time around. For one, Fils-Aime has stressed that the company learned a lot from previous shortages, and that its supply chain is solid.

The Wii U is scheduled to launch in the US November 18, with a UK release trailing on November 30 and the system making its Japanese debut December 8. Nintendo has forecast 10 million unit sales by the end of the year, and a number of retailers have run through their pre-order allocations.

Related topics
Author
Brendan Sinclair avatar

Brendan Sinclair

Managing Editor

Brendan joined GamesIndustry.biz in 2012. Based in Toronto, Ontario, he was previously senior news editor at GameSpot in the US.

Comments