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David Gocen, Managing Director of Nintendo's European division,
recently discussed GameCube's European launch with Bloomberg radio. While new information was
limited, Gocen offered a few interesting comments in the interview.
It's reported that 10,000 GameCubes were sold in two hours in the
UK. Gocen apparently didn't get the memo on Nintendo's Internet strategy for GameCube
that will be unveiled at E3 later this month. GameCubicle.com
transcribed the interview...
European Launch…
"We launched today, one minute past midnight in a simultaneous launch in London, Milan, Madrid, Paris, and Berlin.
The response has been quite outstanding but of course you'd expect me to say that. I just heard before I came into the studio that in the UK, it looks like we sold 10,000 GameCubes in the first two hours of trading today so that's very very encouraging."
GameCube Games…
"Nintendo GameCube is a quirky purple little cube, about the size of four cans of Coke. But not only that, it has an unparalleled lineup of games for launch - we have twenty launch games. Many of which are exclusive to Nintendo. So it's really all about the games that makes the difference. The successful players in this market will have a consistent supply of games over the coming years."
Console price…
"I think at £129 most people must think it's Christmas already because this is the cheapest price that a console has ever come to market at. It's really year-two or year-three pricing in year-one. And we've been able to bring that price to Europe because of the huge success we've had in Japan and the US where we've already shipped 4 million pieces of GameCube. So the economies of scale that we have generated from that market are benefiting the European consumers."
Profitability…
"Well in the video game market there's a formula we like which is initially you lose money on the hardware. This is very similar to the blades of the razor blades business. With Nintendo GameCube, we are an integrated console and games manufacturer so across that category of games and console, Nintendo for GameCube will be profitable."
Internet Strategy…
"The GameCube is designed with flexibility in mind cause it has a broadband modem port and an analog modem port so it's ready and flexible should that technology arrive. People are very excited about online gaming. At Nintendo, we are excited. But we see it as something that is going to be three to five years away. There is no viable business model today. Technology and infrastructure in terms of broadband homes past is not where it needs to be. And there's really no consumer proposition at the moment that is very strong. So we're focusing on doing what we do best, which is console games for a great little console."
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May
2, 2002 |
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Rick - Editor in
Chief, GameCubicle |
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