Nintendo is off to a rough start with its new Wii U video game console and Activision CEO Bobby Kotick thinks Microsoft’s “Xbox Infinity” and Sony’s PlayStation 4 could see similar tepid debuts when they launch ahead of the holidays this year. “We continue to face the uncertainties of the console transition” Kotick said during Activision’s earnings call this week. The executive noted that Nintendo’s Wii U has had a “very slow” start, and he warned that “uncertainties” in the coming year might impact Activision’s performance.
“There are still many unknown factors such as pricing, launch dates and quantities, the level of first-party support and, importantly, consumer purchase intent in a world where consoles are no longer just competing with each other, but also with new platforms, such as smartphones and tablets,” Kotick said on the call, according to Expert Reviews.
Microsoft and Sony are both expected to launch their next-generation video game consoles ahead of the holidays this year. Sony already announced preliminary PlayStation 4 details this past February and Microsoft is expected to unveil the next-generation Xbox during a press conference on May 21st. While early sales performance is indeed uncertain, each console seems to have stirred up a fair amount of hype thus far.
