Wii’s Virtual Console Sees $32m In Revenues

Speaking at a press conference held in Tokyo, Nintendo officials have revealed that not only has the Wii’s Virtual Console seen 7.8 million total downloads so far in its lifetime, but that this has equated to worldwide revenues of ¥3.5 billion ($31.9m). The previously Gamasutra-reported conference was held in conjunction with Japanese telecoms company NTT to announced a collaboration for the Wii’s general Internet services, as Nintendo seeks to raise awareness of the Wii’s online functionality ahead of the launch of the WiiWare range of downloadable games early next year. According to a translation by consumer website IGN, Nintendo executive Shinji Hatano commented, “We're currently unsure if this is a lot or low. They're not bad figures.” Unlike Xbox Live Marketplace, the Wii’s Virtual Console does not provide free demos, meaning that the quoted 7.8 million figure likely relates mainly to purchased content.