Nintendo Wii is officially 15 years old. If that sounds crazy, well, this writer can agree—it’s flabbergasting to think that “Project Revolution,” as it was dubbed during development, launched so long ago. The milestone didn’t go unnoticed by one person in particular: Reggie Fils-Aimé. The former president of Nintendo of America sounded off on the anniversary on his Twitter page:
Can’t believe I failed to acknowledge the 15th anniversary of launching the Wii console. Lifetime sales over 100 million units … genre-busting games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit. My personal favorite Zelda Twilight Princess. Overall, the best selling system in its generation. pic.twitter.com/V4jU6oSPi2
— Reggie Fils-Aime (@Reggie) November 20, 2021
Reggie, alongside former president of Nintendo Satoru Iwata and legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto, all worked tirelessly to convey the unique qualities of Wii, in particular its innovative use of motion controls. An entire new segment of so-called casual video game players was cultivated during this time. What’s more, competitors Sony and Microsoft were taken aback when Wii became the best-selling console of that generation despite being markedly underpowered.
It was an immensely exciting period in the history of the industry, one that many gamers look back upon fondly. Even if it’s still astounding to realize it was all 15 years ago!
Source: Reggie Fils-Aimé Twitter Page