Wii European Userbase Passes 14 Million Units

The total installed userbase for the Wii console now stands at 14.2 million in Europe, according to new data released by Nintendo of Europe. A total of 8.3 million units were sold in 2008, according to Nintendo of Europe’s own figures. This represents a 58 percent increase on 2007, during which the console still suffered from significant supply constraints. It's also the largest annual sales total ever for a home console in Europe, according to Nintendo's records. According to recent independent sales data, the Wii sold 2.9 million units in the UK alone in 2008 – for a lifetime total of 4.9 million. An updated total for the Wii’s worldwide sales is expected in Nintendo’s imminent new financial results, but is currently estimated at more than 40 million. Sales of the Nintendo DS also continued strongly over the year, with over 11.2 million units sold in 2008. This is the largest ever annual sales figure for a games hardware platform in Europe. Total sales for the platform now stand at over 31 million in Europe. Nintendo DS sales in the UK in 2008 stood at 3.4 million, with a lifetime total of 8.8 million. The platform’s global sales are currently estimated at over 95 million units. "The sales trend on both Wii and Nintendo DS, hardware and software during 2008 shows that more and more people in Europe are enjoying video games as part of their daily lives. This proves that Nintendo’s wish to expand the gaming population has strong potential in Europe," says Laurent Fischer, managing director of marketing & PR at Nintendo of Europe.