Wii U Pre-Orders Increase Thanks to Gamescom 2014

Pre-orders for Wii U games increased more than games for any other console following last week's Gamescom trade fair in Germany.

Online retailer Amazon released figures (via MCV) showing a 8.67% rise in Wii U pre-orders compared to 5.16% for PlayStation 4 and 2.81% for Xbox One.

Amazon also released a top 10 list of the games for which pre-orders increased most, with Project CARS attaining the most significant boost, followed by Rise of the Tomb Raider (announced as an Xbox One exclusive during the event) and PS4 exclusive Bloodborne.

The argument would be that Wii U pre-orders had the most room for growth, but it's certainly a good indication for Nintendo – who never give the show much of a focus beyond a presence on the floor.

Nintendo's ailing console is in dire need of a sales boost and any publicity is good publicity, and it would appear that publicity is coming from good word of mouth. Gamescom represented the first time many Wii U games were put into the hands of the public – Super Smash Bros, Hyrule Warriors, Bayonetta 2 and Captain Toad chief among them.

With each year that Gamescom grows in popularity, so too does the need for Nintendo to take the European event seriously. They had a large area of the show floor at this year's event, but they need to back this up with major announcements – which Microsoft and Sony had in droves.

Here is Amazon's complete top 10...

1) Project CARS - (Slightly Mad Studios) - 42.3% increase
2) Rise of the Tomb Raider - (Square Enix) - 30.25% increase
3) Bloodborne - (Sony) - 16.08% increase
4) Hyrule Warriors - (Nintendo) - 11.77% increase
5) Quantum Break - (Microsoft) - 10.77% increase
6) Far Cry 4 - (Ubisoft) - 9.53% increase
7) Assassin's Creed Unity - (Ubisoft) - 9.44% increase
8) Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor - (Warner Bros) - 9.03% increase
9) Battlefield: Hardline - (EA) - 8.81% increase
10) Super Smash Bros for 3DS - (Nintendo) - 7.56% increase