Nintendo Wii and 3DS sales skyrocket in US
Nintendo has announced that sales of the Wii and the 3DS in the US have both passed the four million mark.
The gaming giant said that sales of both consoles were boosted by the popularity of new titles like Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Mario Kart 7.
The record-breaking sales are a great end to what has been a shaky year for Nintendo at times. Net sales were down more than 50% in the second quarter of last year, with losses for the company reaching 25.5 billion Yen.
Nintendo put this down to poor sales of the 3DS, admitting that there were not enough ‘hit titles’ on the game, and development costs of the Wii U.
But the gaming giant was big enough to admit when it was wrong, and dropped the price of the 3DS – leading to a sales jump of 260% in the US.
Strong software line-up
“One of the strongest software line-ups in our history helped Nintendo have a great holiday season and to close 2011 with a full head of steam,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.
“Not only have the new Mario and Zelda titles already broken records, but with strong reviews and satisfied customers sharing their positive experiences, all three are also shaping up to be the latest long-tail titles from Nintendo.”
Zelda: Skyward Sword, Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 for the 3DS all became the fastest selling titles in the history of their respective franchises, each selling over one million copies in the US.
The success of these titles has seen the Nintendo 3DS sell four million units in the US in 2011, with the Wii selling 4.5 million units.
They are impressive figures, especially given that the Wii has been on sale for quite some time now. And with the expected release of the Wii U later this year, Nintendo is going from strength to strength.
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