Taking an objective—and sometimes subjective—look at why Wii Music failed to resonate with consumers.
In 2006, the Nintendo Wii was released with the now best-selling, single-console game of all time: Wii Sports. Does it count if it was bundled with the Wii system? Apparently, yes. Would 1-2-Switch have "sold" more units if Nintendo bundled it in with the Switch? Absolutely, yes. Following Wii Sports’ success were other iterations in the Wii game series like Wii Fit (43 million units sold) and Wii Play (28 million units sold). There was one game, however, that didn't enjoy the same popularity. Here's a hint:
Wii Music sold around 2.5 million units. That number is decent, yes, but when compared to its other Wii series games, Nintendo missed the mark and market on this one. Here are some reasons Wii Music failed to resonate with fans.
Wii Music is not a video game
People see video games as a play activity with clear rules, goals, and feedback. In Wii Music, it is a pretended reality with no clear rules, no goals, nor any feedback; therefore, it is not a video game. Wii Music is a toy. Toys are better suited to young children who simply enjoy the entertainment of something and ignore rules and goals. Perhaps the target audience should have been much different, say to ages 3 - 8, as an alternate to the recorder as an entryway to music.
Wii Music is TOO Casual
Speaking of target audience, Wii Sports was targeted at the casual market ("…even if you have never played a game before") but dumbed down too much. Many casual players pushed the momentum of Rock Band and Guitar Hero’s (hereafter RB/GH) success, and the difficulty options for those games ranged from the complex to mostly simple button combos. The market didn't need a more simple presentation. Part of the joy of learning music is hearing your effort come to life. Wii Music is the equivalent of giving someone a paintbrush, having them shake it around, and getting a Bob Ross landscape without learning how to make the happy trees. Wii Music plays itself for you.
And it's TOO Broad
I think the developers wanted to create an ideal music game that would appeal to everyone. It is not possible to please everyone because everyone does not enjoy the same thing. Games should strive for inclusiveness, not universality. Add one or two unique features to a new game so as to not alienate enthusiasts, with the intent of attracting the interest of people who otherwise wouldn't notice.
Why did we need Wii Music?
There's a reason kids pick up learning a musical instrument when they're young: it's easy. With the right guidance, most kids can learn how to read music and make a melody on an instrument in a few days if not hours. There's also a reason people played RB/GH games: they entertained people by allowing them to play music to popular songs, and you could play cooperatively for high scores. Wii Music floats in the middle of those two ideas: playing together but with no challenge, and learning to play music, which is already accessible to most people.
It was released as an inferior product
If it preceded the (at the time) revolutionary RB/GH, it may have had a chance, but the product was the equivalent of Sony and Microsoft's attempts at motion controls after the Wii's release: late to the party, despite better tech. There was no need for consumers to buy this product.
The controls were silly
When people play music games cooperatively with friends, they're emulating a real-life craft. The controllers offered by RB/GH use similar peripherals compared to their real-life counterparts. The Wii Remote and nunchuck don't have that same appeal.
How do I look?
A lot of people (certainly not me) want to look cool (definitely not me) when performing in front of friends (of which I have MANY), and the Wii Music combo would make Bruno Mars look like a scrub.
Suspension of Disbelief was missing
Wii Music lacked the immersion that RB/GH gave to people: I'm really singing "Since You've Been Gone" into this mic vs. I'm using this plastic remote like a saxophone. Definitely pulling this off... This kind of social immersion was missing in Wii Music.
Where's the Motivation?
Games need to incentivize players to continue playing, and so long as a game keeps offering new things to learn, it remains enjoyable. In Wii Music, what are the goals, what is the feedback? This game provides little of either. The feedback in Wii Music is as complex as pressing a cow button and hearing the cow go moo.
No clear vision
There's an Iwata Asks article about Wii Music, and apparently Mr. Miyamoto tinkered with a musical video game idea in the 64 era. That idea went on for years with no specific goal in mind. A prototype came about with the Wii "conductor's game.” According to the article, the concept seemingly continued to drag. Games that have no clear vision struggle throughout development. The developers did not outright answer the most important question: What is the player going to do? What is their role and what dream is being fulfilled? You're telling people you can become a musical master, but they're not learning those skills. It's like telling potential Mario Kart consumers, "Play this game and it's like driving a car in real life, minus the props.”
If you enjoyed Wii Music, great; but as far as the Wii series library goes, Wii Music is, by far, the “wiikest” link. (Yikes.)
