Japan’s Home Console Market » Wii
This Wii billboard was everywhere for weeks.
Nintendo has become ubiquitous in Japan. It is everywhere. Television ads, aimed at all ages, run constantly for Wii and DS. While people are aware of it as a games machine it has positioned its self very differently in the public eye. It is family entertainment.
It capitalizes on this perception sitting proudly in the living-room next to the family TV. In Japan this is especially powerful as smaller, shared living spaces (and televisions) are common. Because of how it has positioned it’s self in this environment Wii has thrived.
On a similar point my friends in England talk about Wii parties. This is uncommon in Japan as people rarely entertain at home. I will discus this further in a coming post on the handheld market, but its importance for Wii in Japan is that games which rely on multiplayer have an ever-present audience instead of having to arrange events.
