Nintendo's movin' on up!

[Dark Samurai]

Source: Planet Gamecube

March 16, 2004

What's driving the video game industry? Three words: games, games and games!

And who's driving the growth in the games market? Nintendo!

According to the independent sales data just released by the NPD Group, in February:

* Two new exclusive Nintendo titles captured the No. 1 and No. 3 spots on the best-seller list. Final Fantasy®: Crystal Chronicles™, made exclusively for Nintendo GameCube™, was the month's top-selling game, followed closely in the No. 3 spot by Metroid®: Zero Mission, exclusively for Game Boy® Advance (the No. 2 title, Electronic Arts' NFL Street, is also available on Nintendo GameCube).

* The top platform for game growth is Nintendo GameCube, with total game sales up 46 percent over the same period last year.

* When games for Game Boy Advance are included, Nintendo added two software market share points from the competitors from January.

* On the hardware side, U.S. lifetime sales for Nintendo GameCube have now surpassed 7 million systems, while Game Boy Advance has flown past the 20 million unit mark.

* Nintendo is also working overtime to meet the overwhelming demand for its highly sought Nintendo GameCube. By February, nearly half of all U.S. retail locations were out of stock…and Nintendo's North American warehouse was empty. Since cutting the suggested retail price of Nintendo GameCube to $99.99 in September 2003, unit sales between October and February are up over 50 percent from the same period a year ago.

That good news to hear from Nintendo.

They deserve it.