Next-Gen's European media partner reports that some UK retailers are opting out of a pre-order release scheme and selling off all launch allocation on day one; customers lining up for tomorrow's launch.
As the Wii is launching in Europe tomorrow morning, retailers are just as anxious to rack up some sales.
A games buyer at Asda Sanjay Kapoor told trade site MCV, "As we've decided to sell from day one rather than using a pre-order system, we're going to see just how manic customers are for Wii on launch day. From what they've told us, we could easily sell ten times more than our allocation."
Independent local retailers also said that by foregoing pre-orders, the most loyal customers are more likely to snag a Wii. A retailer in London said, "If we ran a pre-order system, we'd not only run the risk of letting our best customers down, but we'd miss out on the local publicity that comes from the massive queues we'll see at midnight."
Over 20 titles will be available for the Wii at its December 8 European launch, including games from third-parties Electronic Arts, Activision, Midway, THQ and Ubisoft. As with North America, Nintendo is including Wii Sports with the system and will have The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess available at launch.
