They released Super Mario 3D World too late and in a time frame that was not the greatest in order to generate hype.
They needed to get the head start on the PS4 and XBox One with games that people actually wanted, instead they squandered the head start with poor marketing that really confused customers with many not even knowing if the Wii U was any different then the Wii.
By squeezing their biggest game of the year, and their last real shot to make an impact in 2013, into a time frame that included the PS4, XBox One, and GTA5 launch they made a really poor marketing decision.
Now they are already behind the other consoles in terms of install base, and the best game of the year got lost in the shuffle of the other launches and is selling poorly.
They got lucky with the Wii due to a low price point and a motion control gimmick that was just kicking off being enough to attract people to buy their console. But now people realize that motion control was a gimmick, and for most the Wii just sat and collected dust. I don't think the casual market will make that mistake again with the Wii U.
Without the casual console market anymore their only real market will be hardcore fans of Nintendo games or families still looking for a more family friendly system.
The system itself actually isn't that bad. I like being able to play games on the tablet controller, and some of the games look great in HD. But a poor marketing message and limited software has really limited that system.
|