Gamertell

In an unexpected turn of events, television advertisements for the Wii may take a sudden leave of absence for the remainder of the holiday season, according to a Nintendo spokesperson.

Times Online reports that due to the severe international shortages of the Wii, Nintendo may opt to push its television advertising campaign into early 2008, after the holiday season has cleared. This idea, reflecting on the company’s intent to act in a responsible manner in response to the huge demand, will hopefully soothe unrealistic expectations of buyers intending to acquire the system during the holiday rush.

The television advertising campaign adheres to Nintendo’s target audience of the casual gamer and focuses largely on the applications of the console in everyday occurrences by showcasing users of all age groups and sections of society. The advertisements come as a stark contrast between that of the Xbox 360, which typically appeals more to the hardcore gamer, and the artistic, often surreal approach of Playstation 3 (PS3) advertising.

Production of the Wii has been continually bolstered over the course of this year, being raised from an intended 14 million to 17.5 million Wii consoles shipped this year. Despite these production overhauls, however, Nintendo simply cannot keep up with the high demand for the system, to the point where the company has been the target of criticism indicating that the company is intentionally under-producing systems in order to generate more hype, a charge that Nintendo denies.

While Nintendo may be enjoying a great deal of success and high demand for the Wii, the shortages represent not only missed opportunities for Nintendo but oftentimes opportunities redirected toward its competition, as the Xbox 360 and PS3 have been receiving price reductions throughout the year in order to stimulate interest.

Read [ Times Online ] Via [ GamesIndustry Biz ] Also Read [ Joystiq ]