GameSpy: So what is Nintendo®'s plan to keep the momentum going?
Perrin Kaplan: We're involved in lots of viral stuff and will continue to have product exposed for people to touch and experience.
GameSpy: You mentioned viral marketing. What does that entail?
Perrin Kaplan: The two cool things that have happened are that on the one hand, Nintendo® has done some cool stuff that has been well accepted, but the enthusiastic gamers themselves have been doing tons of stuff. People are publishing things like "How to have a Wii party" and there are sites dedicated to sharing friend codes. There was even a Mii Parade on MySpace the other day. Then there's the fitness craze with people losing weight by playing Wii Sports. The Mayo clinic said that it's a great product for people's health. This is all stuff that we've had nothing to do with and has just taken off on its own.
GameSpy: Unlike Sony's infamous All I Want For Christmas Is A PSP campaign. Can you commit to print that Nintendo® will not be going this route?
Perrin Kaplan: I don't like to take shots at what Sony does, because every company has its imperfections, and I believe their intention was a good one. But Nintendo® will never try to fool the consumers. We will always be up front and very transparent. If we're appearing somewhere, we're going to say it's us. And if it's not us, we'll let you know that too.
GameSpy: Did you catch Stephen Colbert boxing Nancy Pelosi on the Wii? Or Conan O'Brien playing tennis against Serena Williams? You can't pay for that kind of exposure.
Perrin Kaplan: It's a testament to the raw enthusiasm that the public has for the Wii. Did you know that Serena Williams lost a very huge, very expensive diamond earring playing Wii Tennis? She found it afterwards… as it turned out the earring just fell down the front of her dress.
GameSpy: Did you notice that they weren't using their straps? The whole audience was in danger!
Perrin Kaplan: Yes! I heard about that within five minutes of airing. But Conan was absolutely hysterical, Colbert was amazing. South Park had their own Wii episode, too. It's all fun, awesome stuff and we love it since it's all so damn funny.
GameSpy: So what is it about the system that is putting it in the public eye and giving it this mainstream appeal?
Perrin Kaplan: Ease of use. It's an absolute blast coming at a stressful time in the world. Our country's at war, there's weird weather being caused by global warming… sometimes people just need a fun way to take a twenty minute break from the stress. It's also a great way for families to come together. Families in America don't traditionally spend as much time together as those in many other countries, and the Wii is a great way for families to spend time together.
GameSpy: Some gamers feel that Nintendo® made a mistake by releasing a non high-definition system that doesn't make use of the latest technology in television displays. Do you think that this is still an issue?
Perrin Kaplan: I think the enthusiasm speaks for itself. I don't feel that forcing people to pay extra for a high-definition system would have necessarily enhanced the experience.
GameSpy: Many people still can't find a Wii in stores. What's Nintendo® doing to correct this?
Perrin Kaplan: It's really hard to anticipate demand. We ramped up supply as well as possible, and we're more experienced at this than any other company in the gaming business. Pretty soon we'll be shipping about a million a month, and our shipping numbers should even go up from there. We're shipping as fast and as often as we can. I want to say thank you to the consumers for loving our product, and please don't give up on us. Just keep checking back with your retailer. There are weekly shipments, and in some cases daily shipments, but we understand that it's stressful for people who want a system, and we just hope that we can get them a system soon.
They can go on eBay, though! I know there are some people who are trying to sell their PS3 on eBay so that they can buy a Wii…
