3DS pre-orders already beating Wii

It’s official: 3DS will have the most successful launch of any console yet in the UK.

How do we know? Pre-orders. Nintendo’s machine has already been pre-sold more times in the UK than the Wii, and is on course to surpass 100,000 come launch on March 25th.

The format-holder confirmed the news to MCV this week in an in-depth interview looking at the pre-release excitement for the glasses-free 3D gaming device.

Nintendo says with strong availability, there’s plenty of scope to attract thousands more pre-orders.

Our target was to get over 100,000 pre-orders – and we’re in line with that,” said UK head of sales Andy Yates. So far, we’ve already beat our personal best for a console launch.

With three weeks to go we’re in a great position, as pre-orders are still building. The message to retail right now is that availability is strong and stores can plan with confidence to keep the accelerator on.

The retailers I’m talking to are very comfortable with our strategy and it has given them confidence. Retailers tell us that things are good, and they’re pretty relieved to have a big launch in March; they need something of that magnitude. We’re very encouraged that it’s going to be a big launch.”

Meanwhile, retailer hype is being supported by an extensive mainstream marketing campaign, which kicked into high gear this week.

TV ads began on Tuesday, featuring footage of real consumers getting their first go on the device. The creatives were filmed at Nintendo’s first wave of demo events, which are also expanding this month into a bigger national tour – all part of turning this into the firm’s biggest launch ever.

We are building towards a launch of Wii-style proportions,” said marketing director Dawn Paine.
That has been our ambition all along – to get the UK into a ‘feeding frenzy’ situation.”

Check out the full interview with Paine and Yates on here.