Nintendo Details Splatoon As Driving Factor Behind Wii U Hardware Sales And More

Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima detailed Wii U software and sales data from their financial results briefing for fiscal year ended March 2016, with a look at the contribution from Splatoon.

The number of Wii U systems sold worldwide has surpassed 12 million.
Although this installed base is not as large as we have seen with past home consoles, we had a major hit in 2015 with Splatoon, and we have continued to sell units in Japan.

 

This graph shows the Wii U software sell-through in Japan from the start of the year through last week, compared with the same period over the last two years. Splatoon has continued to sell well since the start of the calendar year, and we launched The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD on March 10th and Pokkén Tournament on March 18th, spurring higher sales in this period than in the same period in the last two years.

 

This graph shows the Wii U first-party software sell-through in the U.S., compared with the same period over the last two years. In the U.S., we also launched the same titles as in Japan, leading to a major jump in sales in this period.

 

This graph shows the Wii U first-party software sell-through in Europe, compared with the same period over the last two years.The titles launched in Japan and the U.S. were also launched in Europe, leading to a rise in sales recently.

The driving factor behind Wii U hardware sales over the fiscal year ended March 2016 was Splatoon, released in May of last year. Strong sales have continued into 2016, leading us to ship 4.27 million units worldwide in this fiscal year. This title started off with early appeal among core gamers and has gradually spread to the young consumer and female demographics, providing an excellent illustration of Nintendo’s strengths.

The number of participants for the in-game events called “Splatfests” has been steadily increasing since the first such event.
The 13th Splatfest, held from April 23rd to the 24th in Japan, saw around 790,000 participants, a record number.
With a total sell-through of 1.49 million units in Japan at the time the 13th Splatfest was held, this means that more than half of the software owners participated in this event. It is no small feat for so many users to be playing a title almost one year after launch, not only in Japan, but across the globe.

 

We have already expanded this IP beyond the game with a variety of products and events, and we will continue to take advantage of Splatoon‘s massive popularity to support products and events and create tie-ins with external partners.