Nintendo Games Absent from UK Top 40 to Kick Off 2016

Sad, but in no way a surprise. Unlikely to change too until February.

I fear for the Wii U in the UK over the next couple of months as there is almost nothing coming out between now and Twilight Princess, Star Fox & Pokken Tournament.

Splatoon and Mario Maker did their best to carry things in 2015 but with the UK's criminal lack of interest in XCX, things look grim for the first part of 2016.

Well, at least Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is in the second position of the 3DS chart, although with likely absymal sales...

Just Dance 2016 still hanging on in the all-formats chart, going for the third month after launch.

Screw the Brits! They have a foul taste in games. They only love Call of Duty and FIFA. Sadly most of the western countries are like that. Stupid age we live in.

I hate my country for gaming. Honestly, it's hard to ever have a conversation at work about gaming in general, beyond the odd open world RPG like Fallout.

Otherwise I'd be talking about Fifa, COD and GTA... no thanks.

Xeno doing nothing here doesn't surprise me in the slightest, but it still disappoints me. I swear Nintendo better remove region locking from the next gen.

It's not a surprise at all. Aside from Xenoblade which did poorly, Nintendo had no big games during the holidays and will continue to have no big games until March with Twilight Princess.

What's hilarious is that Xenoblade is the only game on here from their holiday lineup. No AC:aF and no Mario Tennis. It was their weakest lineup in years, and this helps to solidify that.

As a Browns fan I've learned one lesson. Things can always get worse.

Why does the UK have such crap taste?

At least France loves 3DS.

The UK has never been a big selling country for Nintendo. Even back in the 8 bit days, we chose the Sega Master System over Nintendo.

Not surprised given the weak holiday lineup (unless you want Xenoblade X you're doomed). That said, Mario Party 10 beating Xenoblade X is pretty disappointing.

If Nintendo choose not to release a Christmas game for the Wii U then it won't get into the charts.

Xenoblade is to much of a specialist game and won't appeal to a high percentage of Nintendo owners. Maybe those gamers now own PlayStation's anyway.

@JosieC84 3DS is doing well in mainland Europe and North America.

Xenoblade is a phenomenal game. Too complex for dudebro shooter/RPG gamers though.

is this only disc based? cause i know many got xenoblade digital because of the patches being included an all.

Not to sound too harsh but I for one am glad things are looking grim. Maybe now Nintendo might wake up and smell the suck they've been bringing and give some good stuff.

Xenoblade was likely overshadowed by Fallout 4 has anyone here ever considered its likely cause of the fact that Nintendo's presence is practically nonexistent in UK stores

"Things can only get better."

Well that's one way to look at it because things can't get any worse really. Sorry to say but it serves Nintendo right. It's what you get when you release pieces of thrash like Animal Crossing: SCamiibo Festival and don't spend a penny on advertising. In contrast, I'm bombarded on a daily basis with ads for XBOX1 and particularly PS4. You reap what you sow. I haven't seen a Wii U ad on TV in well over 18 months(MK8) and before that I couldn't tell you what the last one was. Xenoblade Chronicles X deserved some promotion and it got nothing.

I am not shocked. I am in a state of none shockedness.

@JosieC84 It's not that we have foul taste in the UK (we have amazing developers and a rich development history here). But unless you are a dedicated gamer you wouldn't know Wii U even exists here - and their market is supposedly more casual. Shelf space is almost non-existent here and Nintendo doesn't seem to want to advertise at all. Maybe they'll try harder with NX.

@KingofSaiyans No! I'm just saying they should have an opened mind instead of playing the same type of game all the time. It's their problem for missing out on a lot of great games out there.

No exclusives until Zelda HD, true, but Lego Marvel is end of January, Mighty No. 9 is performing a miracle in February (by being released), and there will be eshop games no doubt too.

@Mario_Fart Yes, that is a shame. I totally agree it's Nintendo's own fault for not trying hard enough for marketing in the UK. We've got a reasonable amount of shelves of Wii U games here in Australia. Not as many as the PS4 and Xbox One but noticeable enough. Maybe Nintendo had a bad history with the Brits'. Oh well, fingers crossed for the future.

I've a nephew who got a PS4 for Christmas, his sister got a Wii U, Splatoon, MK8, Super Mario Maker, & Yoshi's Woolly World. Another nephew got a Wii U, Splatoon, MK8 and The Lego Movie game, another nephew got Yoshi's Woolly World, Splatoon & Super Mario Maker with the amiibo, and (another) nephew got Captain Toad Treasure Tracker and Skylanders for Wii U. I reckon none would have looked for any of those if it wasn't for me & their positive experience at my house playing my Wii U. Nintendo have a great product, in my opinion, they just forgot to tell everyone beyond the hardcore Nintendo fans. Such a shame :-/

A very sad state of affairs for Nintendo.

I hope the new CEO turns things around.

With only one big release, that's really not surprising.
Going into Christmas, there was no campaign to rally people to even consider buying a Wii U.
A marketing campaign, showing the back catalog, and upcoming games would of been very beneficial.
The Wii U pack for £249.99 with Splatoon/Mario Kart 8 wasn't going to lure anyone.
Give people a reason to buy something through advertising, and they'll want It.

@Wolfgabe true and true, Fallout 4 is excellent I may add.

It's sad, but not surprising. Nintendo have done little to sell Wii U consoles here recently. I've seen absolutely no advertisements for Nintendo over the holidays except for on Nintendo specific sites like here. Even then, they were all for 3DS games, not Wii U.

Plus the only major game released on the Wii U over the holidays was Xenoblade Chronicles X. This is a great game but it isn't a system seller.

People seem to forget that Microsoft has been heavily advertising Xbox One as part of the Windows 10 campaign. I'm so sick of Microsoft and retailers telling me that Xbox One runs Windows 10. They also have Windows 10 banners and displays featuring Xbox One front and center. Xbox One is also the official partner of FIFA and is heavily featured in each FIFA event. Microsoft also has the exclusive deal with the NFL. Each NFL game states it's powered by Xbox One and Windows 10 at least once per game with the logos during broadcast.

Social Media and sites constantly have ads featuring Xbox One powered by Windows 10, Xbox One the official console of the NFL, and/or Xbox One the Official console of FIFA!

Xbox One also appears in Microsoft Office ads too and their other software ads.

Microsoft also has the exclusive marketing deal with EA sports.

Sony has started doing PS4 ads about PS4 being the best Blu-Ray experience ever. I've also seen PS4 ads advertising the 4K experience and next gen HD. Retailers regular advertise PS4 in the movie section as the best Blu-Ray player. I've also seen ads and displays about the PS4 being a streaming and multimedia box.

PS4 is also advertised in music ads and CDs since Sony owns one of the big 5 music studios.

PS4 is the only system advertised in theaters due to Sony owning one of the major movie studios. Sony also owns the controlling stake in MGM too.

Sony and Microsoft makes lots of non gaming products, which they can leverage to get special treatment. Retailers and others cannot afford to lose Microsoft and Sony.

Bethesda is owned by the huge multimedia company Zenimax

Nintendo isn't big enough to get these huge marketing deals with retailers and sports leagues.

Since Nintendo only makes games and toys, retailers and others refuse to give them the same deals unless Nintedo is willing to pay hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars like Apple does for support.

Wii U will be thier worst selling console in the UK slightly beating out the NES.
All Nintendo hardware sell horribly bad in the UK.
Wii and DS were the only ones to do descent numbers in the UK.

I don't get why the UK is so cut off from Nintendo, but having next to zero shelf presence can't help. Nintendo UK are doing an dreadful job on marketing. Where are the sales reps making sure Nintendo products are in as many stores as possible? You can't blame it all on the Wii U's woes when the Wii U is barely seen or heard.
The UK needs that price drop and Nintendo need to get the Wii U back in all the relevant shops with full stocks of the top games. They need an aggressive marketing campaign and to sponsor some big programs. They need to have demo stands in the cities, shopping centers and at big events.
I called the Wii blind, but I believe in my Wii U. It now has a big and incredible line up of exclusive games, any gamer given the chance to see and demo it will be sold. The fact is currently in the UK it's not that the Wii U is disliked, it is just entirely off the radar, it always has been, do a survey and I know it will find that most people in the UK with awareness of the Wii U still think it is an add on for the Wii.

@CTMike I share your pain mate.

@Benji_Nottz
UK reps wouldn't be able to get more shelf space if they tried their best.

Shelf space with retailers for a product is determined on perceived demand.
You literally show and demo your product to convince retailers to stock it.
If they don't like the product, they won't stock it.
If the product sells bad, they will remove it from the shelves.

Also Microsoft and Sony are constantly trying to out bid each other for as much shelf space as possible.
Both companies spend hundreds of millions is not billions of dollars to get as much shelf space as possible for their products and to take shelf space away from their competitors.

With every Nintendo hardware both console and handheld selling abysmally in the UK, UK retailers have no incentive to give either handheld or console any real shelf space (except Wii and DS).
I mean I keep hearing that 3DS, GB, and GBA didn't get any real shelf space in the UK either.
Wii and DS struggled to increase shelf space at their sales heights in the UK from what others have reported.

Nintendo will never get decent retail space in the UK unless they are willing to pay top Pound for the space.

It's also been reported over the past 6 months that the UK, EU and U.S. have opened investigation on Nintendo for "false" and misleading advertisements regarding Wii U and 3DS.

Can we just change this to a European report already? For whatever reason the UK dosn't perform it takes the gloss off Nintendo's European ventures as a whole... i've now stopped caring about the UK market but the French and Germans are keeping the ship afloat and really competing. I understand that this an english language site but frankly the constant doom and gloom of this UK report makes it sound as if big N are about to pull out of europe at any moment! It would be a nice psychological incentive to stick with Ninty news knowing that its not just blind loyalty keeping us here but that Ninty CAN and DOES perform elsewhere around Europe.

@cleveland124 I'm a steeler fan and besides seeing wiiu pick up in sales.i want to see the browns return to the former glory . because there would be nothing better if we where going to play you guys instead of the bengals.yinz need a new GM and coach.you got a really good defense.they need to stop switching QB every bad game.

@Wolfgabe yep you're lucky to find more than a yard of shelf space for Wii u now.

One of the major selling points of a Wii U (for me) is Off TV Play. I believe that the commercials that showed this in the UK were banned. I think some other company beginning with M pointed out to advertising standards that not every game had this feature.
I don't understand why they couldn't just add a disclaimer, not available on every game, or check individual games, instead banning the commercials completely.

@Ootfan98
That was due British regulators decided it was the best course of action, based on the nature of the complaints.

@Priceless_Spork
I'm not sure there are any TV ads for Wii U and 3DS that could survive the strictness of the British Public and regulators.

I remember everyone talking about how Xenoblade X was a big 'AAA exclusive' and it would do 'so well' over the holidays. And now it's back to being realistic about how it's a niche title. Hopefully Nintendo steps it up with 2016, but I would have my hopes up until I see some proof.

@Xenocity I'm not sure there are any TV ads for Wii U and 3DS.......The End.

@MadAussieBloke What qualifies a game as being considered niche? Xenoblade X is no more niche than say Bloodborne.. Amiibo Festival and Fatal Frame. Now those are niche.

UK Don't have bad test , Most of the Hype comes from NA , Popular Gaming Sites , Forums etc most are based in NA who generate the hype , Europe just follows the trends , Sadly UK market are easy to jump on the bandwagon hype just like the tech market . Even the PS4/XBOX1 you will only really see the most popular games on shelves the rest are bought via amazon and online etc which goes to show why the big franchises are always selling good .
I mean what the hell is up with Animal crossing happy home designer being 3ds top selling game? the reason , Because it says animal crossing in the name , The uk market is pretty narrow minded when it comes to making choices.

@electrolite77
The media has always reported on how Nintendo has never been able to get any real retail shelf space in the UK. Even forum goers and NeoGaf have expressed the same sentiments.

The truth is Nintendo just isn't big and rich enough to compete head to head on any level with the giant multi divisional and multi billion yearly revenue corporations called Microsoft and Sony.
Both of these companies have tons of non gaming product lines they can leverage to force others to give them prime treatment.
They also spend hundreds of millions in the U.S. and UK alone on shelf space.

Also Nintendo is being investigated in the U.S. and EU for false and misleading ads over 3DS and Wii U