Driven by Fast-Selling Software Nintendo 3DS Sells More in its First Nine Months Than Wii Did.
REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Whether they were on the
go or at home, whether they played in 2D on the TV or in glasses-free 3D in
their hands, gamers of all ages celebrated the holidays with Mario™ and
Zelda™. Super Mario 3D Land™ and Mario Kart™ 7 for the Nintendo
3DS™ system not only became the fastest-selling titles in the history of
their respective franchises when they launched, but they are now also the first
Nintendo 3DS titles to sell 1 million units each in the United States. On the
console side, The Legend of Zelda™: Skyward Sword, which also broke launch
records, became the 45th Wii™ title to sell more than 1 million units
in the United States.
“One of the strongest software lineups 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. Couple that with a massive first- and third party lineup
in the first part of the year and the prospects for 2012 are extremely
promising.”
Nintendo sold more than 12 million total hardware units in
the United States in 2011, marking the fifth year in a row that the company has
accomplished that feat. This includes more than 4.5 million units of Wii, more
than 4 million Nintendo 3DS systems, and more than 3.4 million units of the Nintendo
DS™ family of systems. This brings the installed base for Wii and Nintendo
DS to 39 million and more than 51 million, respectively.
With a strong lineup of software on the horizon, including
new installments in the Mario Party™, Pokémon™ and Kid
Icarus™ franchises, as well as third-party games such as Resident
Evil® Revelations from Capcom and METAL GEAR SOLID® 3D
Snake Eater from Konami for Nintendo 3DS, that momentum should continue
into the first quarter of 2012 and beyond.
In addition to the milestones reached by new software, two
evergreen Nintendo titles celebrated milestones as 2011 drew to a close. Mario
Kart Wii™ passed 11 million units sold and New Super Mario Bros.™ for
the Nintendo DS family crossed 10 million total units sold.
Remember that Wii and Nintendo 3DS feature parental controls
that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more
information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wii or http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
