While Microsoft and Sony embraced the online age — the former more readily than the latter — Nintendo took its time to get on-board the internet gravy train. The crazy success of the Wii and DS postponed the need for the entertainment giant to put together a definitive strategy and it wasn’t until the release of the 3DS that Nintendo really began a serious push towards connectivity. So, how has its efforts faired globally as well in the not-so-insignificant land of Oz?
Nintendo of Japan president Satoru Iwata this week delivered a small selection of revealing figures at a briefing covering the company’s financials for the past year. While the focus was on Japan and the United States, Australia did find itself mentioned a few times, mostly on the digital downloads front.
According the Iwata, the ratio between traditional retail and digital purchases on 3DS ranged from three to 10 per cent globally, with Japan unsurprisingly blasting ahead at “no less than 15 per cent”. Using New Super Mario Bros. 2 as a basis for comparison, the US was next big digital consumer, with Australia and Europe’s contributions being “relatively small”. That probably places us at the three per cent (or lower) end of the aforementioned average.
Overall, Iwata declared the “pace” of digital downloads as “relatively mild” here in Australia and Europe, though worldwide the number of connected 3DS users has hit 72 per cent — ten per cent higher than 2011 — according to Nintendo’s stats. There’s no explanation or speculation as to the slower uptake outside of Japan and the US, so if you have some theories, feel free to post about them in the comments.
Second Quarter Financial Results Briefing, 2013 [Nintendo of Japan, via The Escapist]
Leave a Reply