GameCube Released!!
Yes folks today Friday, 17th of May 2002 GameCube was released and I can say there are crowds around the shops in major cities which is pretty cool and below is a GameCube ad so check it out and also below is the release story from nintendo.com.au!
THERE’S NOTHING SQUARE ABOUT NINTENDO’S GAMECUBE - Launched today across Australia
NINTENDO GAMECUBE launched across Australia today in the wake of overwhelming consumer interest prompting record pre-launch orders.
More than 10,000 NINTENDO GAMECUBEs were reserved with a deposit pre-paid in the lead-up to today’s launch, as eager video gaming gurus ensured they did not miss out.
Nintendo Australia forecasts sales of 50,000 NINTENDO GAMECUBE units in May alone, with sales of more than 200,000 expected in 2002 following reports from leading retail outlets of ‘unbelievable’ consumer demand.
“Due to unprecedented demand for the GAMECUBE we are predicting that there will be severe shortages of the console across the country at launch today. It seems everyone is vying to be among the first to play NINTENDO GAMECUBE.
“We do apologise to anyone who has missed and would like to assure customers that Nintendo is committed to ensuring an ongoing supply to the Australian market,” said David Yarnton, Nintendo Australia’s Director of Sales and Marketing.
According to video game industry analyst Phil Burnham from Inform, the $600 million video game industry in Australia has expanded significantly in the past 12 months. “The video game industry has already experienced in excess of 49% growth in 2002, compared to last year.”
He also predicts that the video game industry is expected to grow further with the entry of Nintendo GameCube . “Rather than competing directly with PlayStation 2 or X Box, the Nintendo GameCube should attract more gamers to the market,” he said
“Our Burwood store is a 24 hour store and we have had consistent crowds snapping up Nintendo GameCube since midnight last night,” said Kmart’s Senior Buyer Video & Interactive Games, Scott Teal.
“Pre-orders for GAMECUBE at Kmart have broke all of our previous console records,” he added.
The successful launch of NINTENDO GAMECUBE in the Australian market follows similar successes last year in Japan and the US and this month in Europe. European retailers reported queues of hundreds, citing cases of consumers waiting 12 hours for shop doors to open. In Europe more than 400,000 GameCubes were sold after launch week