Nintendo needs hits right now, and Super Smash Bros. is a hit – the game sold 500,000 copies in just three days, from its debut on November 21 until November 23, the company announced today. That makes it the fastest selling Wii U game in the new console’s history, knocking Mario Kart 8 off that perch. It also should make for a decent accompanying bump in Wii U console sales, if Mario Kart 8’s success is any example.
Nintendo North American president Reggie Fils-Aime said that the launch of Mario Kart 8 on the console essentially doubled the sales of the Wii U when measured year-over-year, and while many of those new device owners likely will be buyers of Super Smash Bros, too, there are bound to be some new hardware sales driven by the game.
Sales figures from Nintendo show that half of Wii U owners already own Mario Kart 8, and with SSB sales off to such a strong smart, Nintendo is probably hoping another big bet will pay off: Amiibo. The toys-to-life NFC figures work with SSB, and with Mario Kart 8. In other words, the ingredients are all in place for a decent holiday showing from Nintendo, which is not what anyone would’ve likely predicted given the state of the Wii U landscape at this time last year.