Wii Fit slips from UK Top 40

Nintendo's fitness game drops out of the charts in its fourth week on sale due to a shortage of stock.

The latest bid by Nintendo to attract a wider audience to its games, Wii Fit, went on sale in the UK on April 26. The game, which comes with the Wii Balance Board peripheral, was bought by 10 percent of Wii owners in the first four days it was on sale.

The game has remained in the official All Formats Top Ten since its release, but this week the game vanished from the Top 40 without a trace. However, according to UK game sales body Chart-Track, this isn't because Brits have abandoned the idea of getting fit in droves and gone back to sitting in front of the telly and eating cake--it's because no one can find the game.

"Stock problems" mean that the title is almost impossible to buy in the UK currently, with retailers Game, Gamestation, Play.com, and Amazon UK all sold out with no indication of when they will be expecting new stock. Copies are selling on eBay UK starting at around £100 or so ($198), plus £20 ($40) postage and packaging. The recommended retail price for the game and the balance board is £69.99 ($139).

Nintendo assured gamers that it was doing all it could to get Wii Fit back on store shelves. A spokesperson told GameSpot, "There are pockets of stock shortages in areas of the UK, but we are doing everything we can to replenish shortages as soon as possible; to this effect, we are continuing to bring Wii Fit stock into retailers across the UK on a weekly basis."

Nintendo also suffered severe problems in its supply of Wii consoles for many months after its December 2006 launch in both the US and the UK, although it promised wannabe buyers a "steady supply" of the consoles would be forthcoming from the end of the year.

However, as of the end of March 2007, it was still difficult to get hold of the console in retail and online stores, although Nintendo said, "It's simply a fact that demand remains incredibly high for Wii, with some retailers reporting higher interest now than at launch." The supply problems continued throughout 2007, when Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime admitted that the company would be once again unable to meet demand.

30 Comments

  • stevo1000

    Posted May 30, 2008 5:11 pm GMT

    Nintendo once again a victim of their own success. The fact that Wii Fit has plummeted from 2nd in the all-formats charts to vanishing from the Top 40 altogether shows how much Nintendo have once messed this up again. They should have either got the European or American launch out of the way then released it vice versa in the other region 3 months down the line to give them some breathing space to allow enough units to be produced. Sounds cruel but I wouldn't mind that to happen if it meant avoiding stock difficulties more.

  • ChickenHounk911

    Posted May 29, 2008 3:35 pm GMT

    The next Big game on Nintendo's list, watch for it next year:

    "Wii Wait"

    a videogame version of nintendo as a company as it releases products that can't meet demand. This game will be a top seller!

  • kavadias1981

    Posted May 29, 2008 9:36 am GMT

    Erm... guys whats with the negativity? Do you even want Wii Fit? Buy another factory to meet demand you say, are you serious? Nintendo causing shortages on purpose? Reality check. The Wii board is very difficult to mass produce so shortages are to be expected. How about thinking in the future before you sprout your anti-Nintendo crap.

  • BigSmitts07

    Posted May 29, 2008 12:25 am GMT

    you think they would somehow fix the demand problems...cmon when MS had them they bought a another factory to meet it, you think nintendo with all the cash there raking in could at least open more factories to keep up with demand./or at least wean it a little bit..every months its ridiculous how they cant keep up..seriously, over a year and still shortages?..cmon now thats unheard of!

  • Jlobel

    Posted May 28, 2008 10:07 pm GMT

    honestly i am beginning to wonder i this is planned i mean they should know that it was gonna sell well and i understand its hard to ship them out cause it weighs alot but watch this become another hard to get item for the next 6 months

  • ColdfireTrilogy

    Posted May 28, 2008 6:11 pm GMT

    This game makes me wonder .... the point of human intelligence ... it really does. I dont understand how anyone can honestly see how people can find this game fun, ive played it at the store and the staying power is like -10% honestly. If you want exercise this game isnt going to provide it, and it definately doesnt offer fun... so why buy it. |
    |
    |
    I guess the old saying is true, "a good salesman can sell an Eskimo and ice cube" .... lol

  • x-2tha-z

    Posted May 28, 2008 3:55 pm GMT

    I don't get it. They're saying they're shipping lots to the UK, it's only sold out because it's so popular? If that was true then why isn't it still in the top 40 sales chart? The only way it would fall off is because not enough are being sold. The only way not enough would be sold is if Nintendo weren't sending enough.

  • wiifan001

    Posted May 28, 2008 2:43 pm GMT

    So basically there are Wii fit shortages. I know I'm not the only one who saw this coming. Wii Fit is huge, like possibly the biggest break through of reaching casual gamers in video game history.

  • ctg867

    Posted May 28, 2008 2:24 pm GMT

    Oh jeez. I read the title, and I'm like, what the hell? That's so strange because how many people were drolling over this damn game in Europe, and pretty much all over the world. Then I read the sub-title, and I'm like okay, supply restraints. Then onto the article.

    Honestly, I think they are still holding back some supplies, in order to keep it an impulse buy. If the Wii was available en mass, it wouldn't sell more then 400k a month. There is a certain curiosity with it, combined with this undeserved hype. Without that, they don't sell nearly as much. It's not "hurting them" so sell 800k a month, so they'll do that, and hold back supplies, so that they can pull that off consistently, rather then stuffing the channel, letting everybody buy one, and selling less then half after the hype and demand die down.

    Sorry to be a hater, but I really, really can't stand this play of supply and demand on a non gaming market, and trying to brag like it's a much bigger accomplishment then it actually is.

  • BigMace23

    Posted May 28, 2008 1:45 pm GMT

    NINTENDO CAN'T BE STOPPED!!

  • valcrist09

    Posted May 28, 2008 12:56 pm GMT

    nintendo stop making stupid add ons, if you want to make a good add on how about a freaking external HD or firmware to alow external storage... I cant buy anymore Wiiware games or Virt console games cause im out of storage.

  • briank555

    Posted May 28, 2008 12:00 pm GMT

    Nintendo is either the worst at still trying to judge the demand for its products... or they're smart beyond their years at artificially creating a demand. Either way, they're the only company that's consistently in the news with production problems. I'll take my gym membership over Wii Fit anyhow.

  • Shtinky

    Posted May 28, 2008 11:14 am GMT

    And here's this Giant Enemy... Wii Fit! Nintendo's E3 2007 am Cry T_T

  • Agermemnon

    Posted May 28, 2008 11:09 am GMT

    Lol Nintendo and crap stock supply have bit them in the arse again .......
    Man oh man whan will they ever learn pffffffffffffffffff .

  • hvnscld77 posted May 28, 2008 10:38 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    hvnscld77

    Posted May 28, 2008 10:38 am GMT (hide)

    well its not nintendos fault everyone wants a wii... oh wait yes it is because it is soo amazing

  • thekodaman

    Posted May 28, 2008 10:31 am GMT

    Ah, logistics seem to be the problem here. Makes you wonder why asia-based companies don't just produce + package their products in the EU so that these problems don't occur. It would do a lot for their image if they did.

  • bestco

    Posted May 28, 2008 10:31 am GMT

    same strag they used on Wii, never supply enough consoles/games and keep the demand high by word of mouth.

  • batboy113

    Posted May 28, 2008 10:19 am GMT

    pizza tastes very good.

  • Kalimania

    Posted May 28, 2008 10:15 am GMT

    I'm faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat ! I'm gonna eat frozen yougurth for eight weeks and not even look at cheese .

  • mr_marbles_79

    Posted May 28, 2008 9:55 am GMT

    NINTENDO always never makes enough systems or product. The wii was sold out for a year after it came out and where i work we were getting like 5 wiis every two weeks and its now been two weeks with out wii fits nintendo is just plan slow at shipping.

  • skivit

    Posted May 28, 2008 9:35 am GMT

    The latest bid by Nintendo to attract a WIDER audience to its games, Wii Fit

    lol

  • Rect_Pola

    Posted May 28, 2008 9:23 am GMT

    Now that's embarassing.
    How did they let the stock cross the line to completely gone during the heat of its own craze? "Supply problems" imply a weak trickle.
    How do you end up with none?

  • bunyipbrown

    Posted May 28, 2008 9:00 am GMT

    subway

  • Super-Mario-Fan

    Posted May 28, 2008 8:54 am GMT

    *Looks at first four posts*

    Stop eating and start exercising!

  • billysea

    Posted May 28, 2008 8:48 am GMT

    Probably move all their stocks for the US launch of WiiFit.

  • pigfish2

    Posted May 28, 2008 8:47 am GMT

    hmmm naan bread

  • batboy113

    Posted May 28, 2008 7:55 am GMT

    sex is good

  • fenwickhotmail

    Posted May 28, 2008 7:54 am GMT

    Me too

  • Mardike

    Posted May 28, 2008 7:53 am GMT

    I love pineapple....

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