Wii Fit VS. Grand Theft Auto IV: Which Will Sell More?

Two of the biggest releases of the year are Wii Fit and Grand Theft Auto IV. Released within a month of each other, these two behemoths are receiving a fair amount of hype and are already considered multi-million sellers with Grand Theft Auto IV selling out in store and Wii Fit selling out of preorders. So which video will end up selling the most in the U.S? Here are some important factors to consider.

Audience
Grand Theft Auto IV appeals to everyone despite being often referred to as a hardcore game. The free-roaming and ultra-violent nature of the game attracts blood thirsty Americans. Soccer moms may dislike it but just about everyone else loves Grand Theft Auto.

Although it may seem limited at first, the appeal to Wii Fit is also wide. Although it is being advertised as a fitness game, the game also appeals to the casual gaming audience. It is the spiritual successor to Wii Sports after all. However, the casual gamers have far less predictable buying habits than the hardcore ones. Not to mention that the hardcore gamers generally loathe and ignore casual games like Wii Fit.

Hype
Pretty much all of Wii Fit's hype comes from the mainstream media. The gaming-centric media aren't really interested in the game (they are actually more interested in the Wii Balance Board and the possibility it presents). Fortunately for Wii Fit, the big boys really like the game. In fact, we have already seen Walmart and Good Morning America fluffing the game weeks before the launch.

Grand Theft Auto IV, on the other hand, is receiving coverage from both the gaming-centric and the mainstream media. The game has received nothing but universal praise from the gaming media; in fact, it is one of the highest rated games ever. Much of the coverage from the mainstream media is about the controversy the game will cause and the amount of units it will sell. While they are basically advertising Wii Fit for free, the mainstream media simply reports Grand Theft Auto IV as news.

Pricing
Grand Theft Auto IV is priced at $59.99, the standard price for a next-generation game. Many consider the game a bargain giving the amount of gameplay jam-packed into the game.

Wii Fit will set you back $89.99, about $40 more than your standard Wii game. This is because of the Wii Balance Board accessory. The price may cause some hesitation since not many gamers (casual or hardcore) are willing to shell out that much for a game. The previous success of expensive accessory-bundled games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock are good signs for Wii Fit, however.

Hardware Sales
Grand Theft Auto IV can be bought from the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 (maybe even PC in the future). Despite being outsold by the Wii, the two platforms combined are currently bigger and, thus, have more potential customers.

That might not be the case in the near future, however. Even with the shortages, the Nintendo Wii is outselling the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 combined in a regular basis. While the install base for the combination of the two high-definition consoles is currently bigger, the Nintendo Wii could end up on top of both in the near future.

Longevity
Although it is a new Intellectual Property, Wii Fit has the power of Nintendo and the influence of Wii Sports behind it. The Nintendo Wii is still selling out due to the influence of Wii Sports.

Grand Theft Auto IV is the latest of one of the best-selling video game franchises. Based on pedigree alone, the game will sell a ton.

Overall, Grand Theft Auto IV is a much safer bet to sell more. Too many things will have to go right for Wii Fit to outsell it. Although it wouldn't be surprising for Wii Fit to outsell Grand Theft Auto IV, the possibility is higher with the other scenario.