Try before you buy... finally
Nintendo launched their WiiWare service on May 12, 2008, and thanks to a relatively aggressive content expansion strategy, it has been a successful venture. The platform not only expands the types and amount of games available, but it provides an outlet for smaller developers to get a start on the current World Champion of consoles without having to sink a lot of capital into things like packaging and shipping. However, Nintendo believes it can be more successful, and they seem to believe that demos are a key factor in that. Wait, you mean to say that people might actually want to try a game before they buy it? And this might lead to them trying and enjoying games they normally would have passed over? Get out of town, Nintendo!
It was reported recently by IGN that Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata told investors Nintendo would begin offering demos for several WiiWare titles this month. Nintendo has discovered that consumers are only logging into the Nintendo Shop Channel to get the game they want, and then they’re leaving. It’s not that surprising a revelation to be honest. The company widely publicizes what games are available every week, so it’s not difficult to find the information on the internet. Besides, there isn’t anything else to do on the channel besides browse the product list and buy games anyway. Does the company think people will just log in time and time again to view the available titles? There aren’t even preview videos to check out in this channel. Those are over in the Nintendo Channel.
The theory that people trying games for free and potentially liking them enough to buy them should come as no surprise to the Kyoto giant. It’s a two-pronged assault set against the force of low sales. Firstly, it lets the consumer get a feel for the relative quality of the game. There’s nothing worse than buying a game that looks interesting only to be letdown by its inability to fulfill its concept. Secondly, it allows them to try games they wouldn’t normally try in the first place. A free demo poses no risk aside from the amount of time it takes to download and play through it. It’s more reasonable to spend ten minutes with a demo you might not like than ten dollars on a game you never want to play again.
Good intentions, anyway
The best part, however, is that this may open the door for demos of retail games. If the WiiWare demos do well and propel sales far enough, companies might see an opportunity to boost sales or build awareness. It would also give users yet another reason to spend time in the Nintendo Shop Channel. Publishers have been searching for a way to add traction to the Wii’s software sales — perhaps this is the tread they’ve been missing?
Nintendo has toyed with demos in the past, offering a five-demo disc for the Gamecube back in 2003 (pictured left). The fact that a similar offering of any sort never materialized afterward speaks volumes about how it performed. Putting demos up for download, however, is a much lower financial risk. There’s no need to print sleeves, press discs or wrap and ship a cased product this time around. Downloading demos on the Nintendo Shop Channel is a true win-win for the publishers and Nintendo, but also the customer as well.
Nintendo might be slowly building their online feature set, but small steps are better than none. Here’s hoping offering WiiWare demos is only a sign of things to come and the company soldiers on to things like universal online handles and headset support.
