Wii Fit has become something of a global phenomenon since its launch, with consumers from around the world eager to get the product into their hands and homes. This popularity comes despite the new health and fitness game from Nintendo, the brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto, being dogged with supply constraints from the get go.

It seems that even Nintendo did not anticipate the warm welcome the game would receive. According to Matthew Grose, General Manager of Core Gaming Systems, Wii Fit sold out in the UK within a week while Europe’s stock was cleaned out in two weeks. South African stock disappeared off the shelves within three to four weeks and both retailers’ stock and Core Gaming’s warehouse stock is now exhausted.

Grose estimates that roughly 8 000 units have been sold in South Africa to date and attributes the higher sales figures in the UK and Europe to pre-ordering and internet sales, a phenomenon which has yet to take off in SA. You have only to read numerous media reports to know that the US was not exempt from the problem, with most retailers selling out of stock within a few hours of it arriving at stores and many gamers still not able to locate a copy today.

Grose believes that sales figures in PAL territories were driven by the fact that the game was launched in Europe before the US. However, Nintendo soon switched the manufacturing supply over to the US, leading to rising demands across Europe and the UK. He reassured us that the manufacturing has just been switched back to PAL, so we should see more stock hitting the shelves soon and a greater continuity of stock as well.

Grose also pointed out that the attachment rate of Wii Fit is currently about 20% (ie. 20% of Wii owners own Wii Fit), something which Core Gaming expects will increase to 40% once there is a continuity of stock here.

How it faired around the world

You may of course be aware of the exceptional Wii Fit sales figures that began to trickle in soon after the game hit shelves, but let’s refresh your memory nonetheless.

Japanese gamers got the first taste of the game in December 2007, a taste which they obviously liked because Wii Fit sold 261 226 copies in its first week on sale in Japan and racked up one million sales in just seven weeks. The title’s popularity has not waned and it still makes a regular appearance in the Top 10 software chart in Japan. The latest Media Create figures show that it sold 27 000 copies for the week ending the 10/08, not bad for a game that has been on the market for almost nine months now. Wii Fit’s outstanding performance can best be demonstrated by taking a look at its life-to-date sales which now stand at a whopping 2.47 million copies.

For interests sakes, and because we love sales data here at El33tonline, according to Japan-GameCharts note that Wii Fit now stands at number 3 of the biggest selling games in Japan behind Wii Play at number 2 and Wii Sports which tops the list (Wii Sports is not bundled with the Wii console in Japan) but Wii Fit is closing the gap each week.

The game arrived on European shelves a couple of months later and gamers again embraced the opportunity to get off the couch. British tracking firm Chart Track revealed that Wii Fit entered the software chart at number 1 for the week ending the 26/04, becoming the sixth fastest selling UK debut and boasted the third largest launch in terms of value for a video gaming product at an estimated £16.3 million, with roughly 1 in 10 Wii owners buying the title over its first two days of release. Coincidentally it also became Nintendo’s fastest selling title in the UK, beating Mario Kart Wii to the post. The title notched up another number 1 spot for the week ending the 9/08, its fourth week at the top since its launch in the UK fourteen weeks ago.

Across the ocean, American gamers eagerly awaited their turn and when the 19th of May dawned they too scrabbled to get secure a copy of the game. NPD data shows that Wii Fit sold 687 000 copies across the US in May, coming third on the software chart behind blockbusters Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) and Mario Kart Wii.

One thing’s for sure, the demand for Wii Fit is still there - the question is will Nintendo manage to keep up with the demand. With holiday season just around the corner, let’s hope that the manufacturing elves go into overdrive soon.