Nintendo Predicts Christmas Wii Shortages
More tears, in the US at least. But the situation in Europe is still unclear.
If like most people you thought that by now Nintendo would have its piggies in order and would be able to crank out Wiis on demand, you'll be surprised (and dismayed) to hear that the company is still unsure how just how popular its console is.
Reggie Fiils-Aime at last year's Wii launchSpeaking to the San Jose Mercury News, Nintendo Of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime said that his company is expecting more Wii shortages over the Christmas season.
"We're working very hard to make sure that consumers are satisfied this holiday, but I can't guarantee that we're going to meet demand. As a matter of fact, I can tell you on the record we won't," Fils-Aime said.
The natural response to this news is Why? The simple reason, according to Fils-Aime, is that Nintendo is seeing higher demand than even its most optimistic forecasts had predicted, and getting production to match that is easier said than done.
"The ability to ramp up production and to sustain it is not a switch that you flick on," he said.
Fils-Aime was speaking specifically about America in his interview, but it's not yet clear whether Europeans can look forward to a more straightforward buying season.
We contacted Nintendo UK for details but had not heard back by the time this article was published.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo
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