Brain Age Wii!

Like Nintendogs before it, Brain Age is yet another example of Nintendo’s new approach to broadening the market. The game’s been a smashing success in Japan and is already performing well on this side of the Pacific. We speak with Nintendo about the game’s appeal and if a Wii version is in the works.

Brain Age has been a genuine phenomenon in Japan. It and its sequel along with Big Brain Academy have helped the Nintendo DS revitalize the Japanese game market. All told, they’ve sold roughly 5.7 million copies in Japan in just over a year.

With sales like that, it’s not surprising that Nintendo would try to bottle that lightning and let it loose in the West. Brain Age released in April in the U.S. and Big Brain Academy is set to follow in June, and the results are already positive. It’s yet to be seen whether it will be a phenomenon like in Japan, but chances are that it’s paid for itself already.

GameDaily BIZ recently caught up with Tim DeClaire, Nintendo of America’s Senior Manager of Public Relations. We discussed the game’s success on both sides of the Pacific, why it appeals to the elderly and possible expansion plans for the franchise on the Wii.

(3 * 3) * 10,000 = Amount of Copies Sold
Released on April 17 in the U.S., Brain Age hit the ground running, and was the best selling DS title during the month of April, according to the NPD. It was also the #1 selling portable title during that time period and the 14th best selling title overall. Brain Age sold over 90k copies by the end of April.

“It’s not so much a surprise as it is an affirmation of what we’ve been saying: New audiences can be tapped by offering them fun and interesting software that appeals to them,” said DeClaire. “Remember that in Japan, Brain Age was not an instant success. It sold well initially, then petered off. But soon it began spreading virally to new audiences, and everyone wanted to try. That’s when it really took off and became a real national phenomenon. Here our initial sales have surpassed those of Japan during the same period, and we’re confident they will continue to be strong.”

“Older people have traditionally been ignored by the video game industry because no one thought they were interested. Brain Age proved that they were just waiting for the right game.”

I’d buy that for $20

A budget price has really helped Brain Age’s appeal with the mainstream. Also, the game’s content features basic math, comprehension and memorization tests that most people can understand, as well as a number of sudoku puzzles. Finally, the fact that the game judges players on their performance and doles out a “brain age” score gives not only an incentive to hardcore gamers to best themselves (and others) but also for older, more casual gamers to help keep their brains sharp.

“We’re confident that our overall strategy to utilize non-traditional tactics (non-traditional to the gaming industry, that is) has helped us reach a wider audience — and this is crucial to the game’s success,” commented DeClaire. “Such elements as a partnership with Discovery Channel, a unique print campaign that had a more organic feel with the publications, in which they appeared and a sampling tour, were all designed to reach audiences that are not typically targets for gaming promotional campaigns.”

“People of all ages love to do puzzles and to challenge themselves to keep their brains active,” he added. “Plus older people have traditionally been ignored by the video game industry because no one thought they were interested. Brain Age proved that they were just waiting for the right game.”

Wii are, Wii are… Touch Generation
With a seemingly endless demand in Japan, more Brain Age titles seems like… well, a no brainier. Additionally, the thought of bringing the franchise to the Wii seems like a natural combination. Nintendo has loved to talk up “expanding the market” with regards to both the DS and the Wii. One could imagine, using the Wii’s remote controller doing tasks based on motor memorization, correct button presses and even hand writing. When asked about Brain Age on the Wii, DeClaire had a very calculated marketing answer:

“We don’t have anything to announce right now about that, but we do believe in giving people what they want and building on our successes.”

“We have three brain-training titles available right now in Japan. Although we haven’t announced anything specific, the success of the series has shown that there’s a real hunger in the market for these types of games. So stay tuned.”

Whether Brain Age or similar titles are coming to the Wii or not, more games of the brain-training variety are coming and will continue to come out for the DS. These titles have been branded under the Touch Generations label. It not only incorporates brain-training titles like Brain Age and Big Brain Academy, but all kinds of successful casual titles, like Tetris DS and Nintendogs.

“We remain committed to turning video games into an inclusive mass medium that everyone can enjoy,” said George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications, in a release yesterday. “Touch Generations will help novices and newcomers identify the fun and uniquely engaging experiences that are available only on Nintendo DS.”
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