Divnich: Wii Fit and GTA IV can "co-exist"
Although EEDAR analyst admits that there may be some short-term hit on the Rockstar title from mass-market gamers
Jesse Divnich, newly-installed director of Analytical Services at EEDAR, believes that there should be little disruption to overall sales of Grand Theft Auto IV, even though demand for Wii Fit - released in the UK just days earlier than Rockstar's title - appears to be extremely high.
However, he did admit that there may be an initial hit, based on some crossover, although if so, it wouldn't last too long.
"In the short-term, there is that possibility, especially since GTA IV is targeting the mass market, which includes the casual gamers - the Wii's main target market," Divnich told GamesIndustry.biz. "In the long-term, no way. Any consumer planning on purchasing GTA IV will do so, whether in April or later on."
He pointed to the impending NPD results for March, and the strong results posted by Super Smash Bros Brawl and the likes of Army of Two and Rainbow Six Vegas 2 in the US.
"Personally, I think both will co-exist nicely with each other and will do little to disrupt each other's sales," he said.
"March's NPD results this week will actually help prove that a triple-A Xbox360 or PlayStation 3 title and a triple-A Nintendo Wii title can play nice with each other."
He also pointed out that, particularly in light of initial expectations for the Wii before it launched, it was interesting to be looking at game sales in this way - testament again to the performance of the Nintendo console in the past year or so.
"It is funny that the Nintendo Wii has gathered so much steam that we are beginning to ask ourselves if their games will impact the sales of triple-A titles such as Grand Theft Auto."
Wii Fit is scheduled for release in the UK on April 25, while Grand Theft Auto IV will be on the shelves on April 29.