Iwata promises expansion into new markets next year.
With Nintendo riding high on the Wii’s continuing rise into the stratosphere, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata recently announced plans to further expand its hardware distribution into both China and South Korea. While Iwata referenced the huge demand for the Wii that has continued to outpace Nintendo's increased manufacturing plans, he seemed optimistic about expanding the Wii's reach in the new year. "Our responsibility now is to deliver as many consoles as we can to existing markets," Iwata said. "But next year, I think we can bring the Wii (to China)."
The announcement is a significant one. Piracy has long been a major concern of Nintendo, and China is among the most notorious countries in the world for selling pirated software. Nintendo has experimented with ways of entering into the Chinese market in year's past, most recently with the iQue Player , a controller that connected directly to TVs and could play N64 games from purchasable cards. Iwata made no specific mention of how Nintendo would attempt to position the Wii in the Chinese or South Korean marketplaces with regard to price or number of units planned for shipment.
Expect more news in the coming months as Nintendo gears up for what could be a historic launch into uncharted waters.