FEB. 10, 2009 • Nintendo will build a new R&D facility near its headquarters in Kyoto. The gamemaker purchased the 40,000 square-meter lot last December for ¥12.8 billion ($138.7 million). New hardware and software will be developed at the site. In related news, GfK ChartTrack reported that Wii Fit has been No.1 on the U.K. sales charts for eight weeks, which puts the game second behind Pokemon Yellow as the best-selling Nintendo game. The latter turned in 10 weeks at the top of the charts.
Impact: Nintendo has had incredible success over the last two years, but that puts the pressure on to continue producing. The nature of the game business requires constant innovation to stay on top. Wii Fit is the perfect example of what can happen when creating a successful new product category. In less than a year on the market, Wii Fit sold 14 million units at a price tag close to $100. This is well more than twice what the Apple iPhone sold in its first year. Furthermore, the Wii Fit was not even targeted towards gamers.
