Nintendo Preparing for Wii Launch in South Korea

Nintendo is finally gearing up for the launch of Wii in South Korea this Spring, following the initial delay from Christmas 2007 due to stock shortages. This is far in advance of the Chinese launch, which is still apparently set for Christmas 2008.

Whilst Nintendo of Korea has yet to give a firm date, the discovery of the release came from ratings applications for two of the launch titles, Wii Sports and Wii Play. Korean websites are speculating this means the release is likely to come before 'Children's Day', an event that takes place on 5th May.

In separate applications, Acitivision, an American game software company, also received ratings for its two Wii games in Korea last week.

"We will make an official announcement once we are all ready. Korea is an important market for Nintendo, and Internet piracy is seriously affecting the growth of the video game industry in the country. The unprecedented momentum enjoyed by Nintendo DS and Wii makes Nintendo an attractive target for counterfeiters. We estimate that in 2007, Nintendo, together with its publishers and developers, suffered nearly $975 million worldwide in lost sales as a result of piracy."
- Kim Sang-yean, public relations official of Nintendo Korea.

Expect more details as and when they emerge...