Nintendo claims 80 percent of female gamers

by Stevie Smith - Nov 27 2009, 06:00

Given the wealth of female themed titles available on the best-selling Wii and DS videogame consoles, it comes as no surprise whatsoever to learn that Japanese hardware and software manufacturer Nintendo has a grip on 80 percent of the U.S. female gaming market.

Moreover, according to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, there are currently around 11.7 million female gamers spread across the United States, with some 9 million of them existing as Nintendo platform holders.

“This didn’t happen by accident,” said Fils-Aime during the BMO Capital Markets conference held earlier this month. “It’s the result of a deliberate attempt to expand the market.”

By comparison to Nintendo’s more focused slant towards the female demographic, rival console makers Microsoft and Sony soak up the remaining 20 percent market share, with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 pulling in 11 percent and Sony’s PlayStation 3 taking the scraps with 9 percent.

While industry research specialist NPD Group has indicted the U.S. female gaming market is growing significantly when measured against 2009’s traction, U.S. dominance still lies with male gamers, of which there are approximately 33.3 million.

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