Nintendo downloadable game sales more than double this year
Wii U sales may be struggling but Nintendo's download business is booming. As part of its financial briefing today, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that the company's downloadable game sales surpassed ¥16 billion ($160.9 million), more than doubling sales of the previous year. Download sales also handily eclipsed the banner year of 2010, when "both the Wii and Nintendo DSi systems were actively used."
Iwata noted that the majority of Nintendo customers have taken their 3DS online. That includes 87 percent of users in Japan and 83 percent in America. Europe's connection rate is significantly lower at 57 percent. The Wii U, meanwhile, has an 80 percent connection rate worldwide.
Iwata also mentioned the surprising viewing habits for the company's Nintendo Direct presentations. For recent presentations, he said, "it became common to see total views for a single video reach five hundred to six hundred thousand in a matter of about 10 days on the Nintendo eShop while they did not show apparent growth on YouTube." In fact, it seems that the eShop is now the most popular source for Nintendo Direct, accounting for "approximately 60 to 70 percent" of total views. That might sound like a surprising statistic, especially given the immense presence of YouTube, but Iwata noted that the eShop appeals to viewers "who do not own their own PCs or smart devices."
