Nintendo cannot keep up with the demand for its four-player fighting game in Japan.
The publisher has sold 1.37 million copies of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS since it debuted Sept. 13. In the last week, the brawler added around 110,000 to that total, according to Japanese sales-tracking firm Media Create (as Siliconera reports). What’s even more impressive is that the new Smash is still selling out at retailers in Nintendo’s home country. This is welcome news for the company, which may end up turning a profit this year after losing $229 million in 2013.
This is just the beginning of a Smash-filled holiday season for Nintendo. The publisher launched Super Smash Bros. for 3DS in North America today. The brawler had years of hype, and fans lined up to pick up the fighter during its midnight launch.
The Nintendo World Store in New York had an especially long queue:
https://twitter.com/clineilc/status/517821345460412416
We’ve reached out to Nintendo to ask if Smash’s worldwide launch contributed to constrained supply in Japan. We’re awaiting a response.
Now that gamers in the U.S. are finally Smashing on their 3DSes, fans may start looking forward to the first high-definition entry in the series. Nintendo still plans to release Super Smash Bros. for Wii U “this holiday.” But we are still waiting for an official release date. It’s likely, with the 3DS game selling so well in Japan and crowds lining up in North America, that Nintendo will keep quiet about the Wii U release to keep the focus on the handheld version.
https://twitter.com/Miktar/status/517830362815537152
Smash Bros. is easily Nintendo’s biggest product for the holidays. The company also recently release the Zelda-themed Hyrule Warriors action game for Wii U, and it has a platform puzzler starring the Mario franchise’s Toad, called Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, also coming this holiday. But if Nintendo is going to push back into profitability, it’ll have Smash Bros. fans to thank.