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

Which Major Video Game Release Will Move More Units?

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.