Nintendo News Follow Up: 1 Million Wii Units at Launch UNCONFIRMED

Numerous media outlets, from blogs to trade magazines, were reporting that Nintendo would be shipping approximately 1 million Wii units for the North American launch on November 19th. These reports were based on Nintendo Canada’s vice president Robert Bertram’s conversation with Mackenzie Financial. Nintendo responded to the news with the following statement: “A number of outlets have reported a misstatement about the number of Wii consoles that will be available in the Americas during the launch rollout. In fact, the truth is even better. After the Americas lead the worldwide launch on Nov. 19, Nintendo expects to sell 4 million Wii consoles globally by the end of 2006, with the largest allotment available in the Americas. Although we expect a huge demand for the consoles, we are working to ensure a plentiful supply and a consistent flow.”

For now, the exact number of Wii units available at launch will remain a mystery but it’s certainly promising to here that Nintendo is planning on keeping a steady stock of the machine on retail shelves throughout this fiscal year.