bob-mckenzie
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Gamestop executive thinks DSi is 'priced right'
As those of us who have spent enough time staring at the preorder pages know, the DSi costs a bit more than the DS Lite: $169 for the new handheld versus $129 for a Lite. Bob McKenzie, GameStop's senior vice president of merchandising, doesn't think that's a big problem. Even if he doesn't have the details quite right off the top of his head.Talking to Gamasutra about GameStop's success in the portable market, McKenzie said, "Now with the DSi coming out, I think that's going to help too. Even with that, [Nintendo has] a $179 retail on that, so it's a $30 upcharge from the original DS Lite." We believe he's referring to the original $149 price of the DS Phat here. As for the $179, no idea where he got that. But if he thinks it's priced right at $179, he must think the real price is a bargain!He said that Nintendo has "got the value there. It's great; I think it's priced right. They've done a good job. Seeing the demo of that thing really makes you realize how much different it is from the original DS Lite." As for the loss of GBA compatibility: "I don't think that the consumer is really going to look at that as a negative." Speaking of GameStop DSi pricing, if you use the coupon code 3DAYDSi at checkout, you can get free three-day shipping on a preordered DSi from the retailer. Not invited to the Club Nintendo event? Don't worry -- we've got you covered. Check out our unboxing of a Japanese system for a hands-on rundown of features, and have a look at the awesome DSiWare downloads that have come to Japan. Then torture yourself with the limited-edition FFCC: Echoes of Time DSi that probably won't make it here!
GameStop doesn't see recession's impact on gamers
GameStop's senior vice president of merchandising, Bob McKenzie, doesn't think the recession has had much impact on gamers. Speaking with Venture Beat during the Resident Evil 5 launch event in San Fransisco, McKenzie said people are staying in more often (presumably awaiting further financial ruin) and turn to video games and other entertainment to pass the time. But has GameStop seen a spike in the lucrative -- yet controversial -- used game market since the recession? McKenzie wouldn't say "yes," but quickly pointed out that gamers today are even more aware about "tightening their wallets." Even though traffic at retail has slowed, McKenzie reiterrated that GameStop continues to post solid numbers -- recently reporting a 24 percent increase in year-over-year sales to $8.8 billion. Unfortunately, the rest of the industry isn't fairing as well. Perhaps video game publishers should get into the used game market. As long as they vow to keep all of the profit for themselves they should be able to dig themselves out of this whole "economic apocalypse" thing.
Wii shortage finally nearing its end, says GameStop exec
We never, ever thought it'd take this long, but we've finally received a sign that the Wii supply and demand might be nearing some equilibrium, almost two and a half years later. According to GameStop SVP Bob McKenzie, the retailer now has a couple weeks' worth of supply, which seems to be fairly unprecedented given the numerous shortage stories we've heard over the console's 852-day lifespan. That's not to say the console's popularity is waning -- it's still topping US sales charts, and according to NPD, pushed over 750,000 units last month. So now that one shortage might be nearing its end, how about Nintendo find a way to keep Wii Fit in stock?[Via Joystiq]Read - McKenzie on Wii supplyRead - February NPD figures
World of Warcraft hits 11.5 million subscribers
It's been recently announced that the World of Warcraft has hit another milestone: a grand total of 11.5 million subscribers. This really comes as no surprise after the release of an expansion, especially one as widely hyped as Wrath of the Lich King which broke a few records of its own. I think it would be bigger news if they hadn't hit a couple of new milestones.Gamesindustry.biz has a quote from Senior VP of merchandising at GameStop Bob McKenzie, indicating that it's not just Wrath of the Lich King doing well. These numbers haven't spiked because of all of the returning customers, WoW is gaining plenty of new ones, too. The base WoW package and the World of Warcraft Battle Chest are still doing quite well. Better than last year, he specifies. So while those base package purchases are certainly fueled by the Wrath hype, it's bringing in new customers, not just the returning customers.WoW may not be the kind of game for every gamer out there, and the game isn't without its flaws. Despite that, it has proven over and over that it's by far one of the best games out there, and definitely the best of its genre. I don't expect it will be going away anytime soon.
