Table of Contents
The History of Nintendo in China -
iQue Company
Part 2. iQue SP
The entire series of articles about iQue:
Which consoles did iQue release?
The History of Nintendo in China - iQue Company
The History of Nintendo in China - iQue Company. Part 2. iQue SP
The History of Nintendo in China - iQue Company. Part 3. iQue DS
The History of Nintendo in China - iQue Company. Part 4. iQue Micro, AGS-101, iDSL
The History of Nintendo in China – iQue Company. Part 5. Company Problems and iQue Wii
As you may recall, in the previous article: «The History of Nintendo in China - iQue Company» we stopped at the point where Nintendo prohibited iQue from releasing the GBA SP ahead of schedule. This ban raises many questions for us.
We still cannot understand the relationship between iQue and Nintendo.
Part of the mystery was revealed in 2007. On the levelup.cn website, iQue held an event called «iQue Nintendo Press Room» where you could ask questions and get answers from an iQue representative.
As the iQue representative wrote: “After carefully reviewing your questions, it should first be clarified: iQue is not a subsidiary of any company, iQue has its own rights to various software and hardware... This has been explained many times before.”
What conclusions can be drawn from this? Despite many believing that iQue (China) Ltd. is a subsidiary of Nintendo, iQue itself does not consider it so. However, Nintendo undoubtedly has influence over the company (considering, for example, the ban on console production), though the extent is unclear.
We would like to read the founding agreement between Professor Wei Yen and Nintendo when they created iQue, but who would give it to us?
We have digressed a bit, so let's return to the release of the iQue SP.
The release of the iQue Player and Game Boy Advance revealed a major mistake by iQue – extremely weak marketing. Up to a certain point, iQue's marketing strategy for the Game Boy Advance SP was quite strange. Let's take a look at the events that took place before the console's launch.
GBA SP Pre-sale
The release of the Game Boy Advance SP was scheduled for October 27, 2004.
But on October 15, 2004, iQue launched a pre-sale. When launching the pre-sale, iQue announced that the first buyers of the console would receive commemorative gifts.
The gift was disappointing: a special postcard with a stamp and the release date of the console (2004.10.27):
In addition, a quiz of 10 questions was announced. The person who sent in 10 correct answers first was supposed to receive a unique console(!): a Game Boy Advance SP with a golden iQue logo and the serial number XQ00001027 (the start date of iQue SP sales).
We couldn't find the quiz questions, and even finding out that such a quiz took place was accidental. On the iQue.com website in 2004, there was a reprint of an article from sina.com.cn, which mentioned that iQue was holding a quiz.
That is, iQue reposted someone else's article on their website without posting official information about the quiz.
A total of 1457 Game Boy Advance SP consoles were pre-ordered. The person who won the console with the golden logo was Ma Qing from Shanghai (the winner's photo has not been preserved).
Console Release
So, on October 27, 2004, the iQue Game Boy Advance SP console was released. The first console was released in blue:
At the start of sales, the iQue Game Boy Advance SP cost 688 yuan, which was already comparable to the price of the parallel import Game Boy Advance SP.
As reported by Sina.com.cn: On October 31, 2004, the iQue Game Boy Advance SP reached Guangzhou, and on the first day, 10 consoles were sold. Despite the fact that the difference between parallel import consoles and iQue was 50 yuan (in favor of parallel imports), it was still more profitable to buy the iQue Game Boy Advance SP, as it came with a warranty and additional bonuses (participation in various iQue programs).
Frankly, all these numbers (1457 pre-ordered consoles, 10 consoles sold on the first day) create a somewhat depressing impression. At first glance, it seems that iQue's products were met with indifference or, more likely, that no one had heard of them. Worldwide, about 45 million Game Boy Advance SP units were sold, and such "huge" initial sales cannot be interpreted as a success.
iQue Game Boy Advance SP Sales Stand in Guangzhou Haiyin Plaza.
iQue Game Boy Advance SP Sales Stand in Guangzhou Haiyin Plaza.
It should be noted that the iQue Game Boy Advance SP had only one drawback that made iQue's position slightly worse than that of regular Nintendo consoles: the lack of color variety and limited editions. But this drawback was quickly corrected.
From October to November 2004, iQue released the Game Boy Advance SP in three new colors: black, pearl gray, and red.
And so, the final step was taken, which was supposed to announce that iQue's products were keeping up with global trends.
On December 5, 2004, the first special edition of the Game Boy Advance SP for the Chinese market was released: the Chinese Dragon iQue SP.
You can see more details about the iQue Game Boy Advance SP China Dragon in our article: «Photos of iQue Game Boy Advance SP China Dragon».
iQue - Contests
December 5, 2004, can be called the day when iQue caught up with Nintendo (in terms of console release dates), and it is from this moment that the flourishing of iQue begins, preceded by an interesting event:
On November 3, 2004, a large delegation from Nintendo, led by Satoru Iwata, arrived at iQue for secret negotiations. However, only the lazy didn't know about the arrival of this delegation. The results of this meeting were not disclosed, and there was no mention of it on iQue's website. From insider information, it is known that the launch of the iQue DS was discussed. However, based on the crumbs of information we have, it can be assumed that Satoru Iwata not only discussed the iQue DS but also expressed his opinion on iQue's lackluster marketing strategy.
After this meeting, iQue seemed to change, and they began to hold grand contests and advertising campaigns.
On November 10, 2004, iQue announced a Game Boy Advance SP design contest.
The contest was very simple: you had to submit your design for the Game Boy Advance SP.
More than 700 works were submitted. We have selected the most interesting ones for you:
iQue GBA SP Design Contest
The winner of the contest was "Chunzi MM."
For first place, she received a second unique console with a golden iQue logo and a unique serial number with the date of victory:
By the way, here is her work:
It was implied that some of the works could become special editions of iQue, but none of them were ever realized.
On the same day, December 25, 2004, iQue announced a new contest.
For 8 weeks, participants had to send in photos with their loved ones, and viewers had to rate and vote for them. If a couple became the weekly winner, they advanced to the next round. The weekly prize was a limited edition Red Dragon console.
The rules specifically stated that the couples had to be of opposite sexes!
Photos of the weekly winners:
iQue GBA SP Dom2 Contest
By the way, if you didn't notice, the girl from the previous contest also participated.
Among the 8 couples, the main prize was drawn:
Actually, of course, not a car, but another unique console in a single copy with a golden logo and the date of the end of the contest, but a trip for two!
The winners were this couple:
iQue seemed to burst. From nothing, they held two huge contests in a row. Of course, they didn't hold such contests again, only separate advertising/holiday events.
What's Next?
In November-December 2004, the new generation of consoles, the Nintendo DS, began appearing on the shelves of stores in America and Japan.
Since China was not isolated from the rest of the world, the Nintendo DS also started to seep into the country, mainly through parallel imports. A situation similar to the early days of iQue's emergence was forming again. But this time, Nintendo and iQue managed to reach an agreement and launch the new console almost without delay.
In the next issue, we will talk about the appearance of the iQue DS console.
