Nintendo struggling to break Russian market

Wii and DS not proving popular

19 January 2009 17:08 GMT / By Verity Burns

Nintendo may be succeeding in just about every other country, but it seems Russia is one region it isn't going to win over.

Despite launching the Wii and DS in the country, both have struggled to make an impact on the growing Russian market, it has been revealed.

Inna Bukatina, GFI's head of international licensing and acquisition, said: "Firstly people in Russia prefer products that are more universal, that can be used for a number of different purposes. For example, a PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Portable can be used for games, or films, and so on".

"But the Wii is only for games, and for very specific kinds of games. The gaming society in Russia is pretty young, and I remember when Nintendo attempted to attract more people from older demographics - they put on their last slide a babushka, an old woman, in a headscarf sitting in the countryside and playing on a DS... but actually it's very hard to see that really happening in Russia".

She added: "I know that in other parts of Europe, older age ranges are playing these games, but in Russia they don't know what to do with it - they never owned a computer, and probably never worked with a device that's more technical than a telephone, for example".

Whether this news will see a tweak in Nintendo advertising in the region, or whether in time Russia will warm to Nintendo's social, family-friendly games, we'll have to wait and see.