It's been the benchmark for console sales since its launch, but it would now appear that the Nintendo Wii has met its match. And to the surprise of many, its match would appear to be the iPhone.
Indeed, according to those "in the know" (mainly those either working within the industry or commentating on it) the iPhone is set to have a cracking 2010, so good in fact that it could find itself outperforming Nintendo's record selling console.
Such predictions come following the results of GamesIndustry.biz's annual survey, in which the site asks those working within the games industry just which formats they expect will have a strong year.
Though the PS3 and 360 lead the way, with 34 percent and 29.9 percent of the vote respectively, Nintendo's console only came in fourth with just 9.3 per cent of the vote. The iPhone surged into an impressive third place with 10.2 percent.
While this is little more than an educated guessing game, it does show the increasing faith the games industry as a whole-- beyond the batch of independent studios and mobile publishers-- has in the iPhone as a gaming platform. If the industry believes the iPhone is going to be a more powerful force in gaming in 2010 than the console that shifted almost 4 million units in December in the United States alone, then we could see even bigger franchises making their way to iPhone. The likes of Assassin's Creed 2, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, and the upcoming Mirror's Edge are evidence of just such a transition.
Though an ever-greater commercial presence within the gaming industry is likely to put the independent developers who have so far enjoyed success on the iPhone under increasing pressure, we think a bumper 2010 can only result in good health for the format overall.
2 Comments
I find it interesting that they are putting the 360 and PS3 first, when the Wii has continued to greatly outsell those platforms, including during this past xmas season - there's not exactly been any signs of slowing, nor any signs of the 360 or PS3 catching up, let alone taking the lead.
The Wii's business model is such though that it's designed to have a shorter lifespan than the HD consoles, hence why it's sold to everyone, all at once, so quickly. The HD systems, like the PS2 and orignal PlayStation, first pitch at hi-tech markets before going more mainstream in year two or three, extending their lifespan even if sales aren't as high. It's more likely, therefore, that Wii sales will drop almost as quickly as they came at some point, most likely when a successor is lined up, or a little before. That could be 2010/2011, or 2011/2012.
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