Topic: Five Wii U Games Have Sold Over 1 Million Copies

[CurtDogg]

Mario Kart Wii also manages to sneak in another million

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/36438

Five titles in the Wii U's library have surpassed the million-sales mark worldwide.

Following tonight's investor presentation, Nintendo released sales data for its top-selling Wii U titles. Super Mario 3D World came in first place, with over 1.94 million units sold. New Super Mario Bros. U came in second with 1.74 million, followed by New Super Luigi U with 1.51 million, Wii Party U with 1.24 million, and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD with 1.15 million.

Additionally, Mario Kart Wii managed to sell another million units in 2013, despite its release on the Wii nearly six years ago.

[AwesomeUnicorn]

And this is why Nintendo is never going to listen when the internet proclaims that they need to stop making Mario games.

[Stogi]

A remake sold more than Pikmin and Wonderful 101?!

I wonder if it sold more than both combined!

Maybe they'll remake Majora's Mask now.

[Phil]

I contributed to all of those amounts. One, but a sale is a sale, right?  :

[NWR_insanolord]

Interesting that the best-selling game on the platform is the one that released most recently. I'm assuming they're not counting the copies of NSMBU packed in with recent Wii U bundles.

[Stogi]

Tat would include Nintendo Land right? I don't see it up there.

[Luigi Dude]

These recent numbers are only for the current fiscal year.  NSMB U had sold somewhere over 2 million by the end of the last fiscal year so with these sales added it should be pretty close to 4 million lifetime total by now.  Nintendo Land was a million seller at the end of the last fiscal year as well but since it's not being posted it means it didn't sell a million in this current fiscal year.

[mustbeburt]

I love that New Super Luigit U did so well.  I think that should encourage Nintendo to do more things like that!

[Ceric]

Did they say what the Attach Rate is on the WiiU?  Considering there is only what 4Million out there that would pretty much mean that every Wii U owner owns NSMBU and Nintendo has 5 games that are owned by more than 25% of the console owners.

[Ian Sane]

And this is why Nintendo is never going to listen when the internet proclaims that they need to stop making Mario games.

They shouldn't stop making them but probably shouldn't make so many.

Okay so three of their bestselling Wii U games were Mario games.  Uh huh, and how many consoles have they sold?  How well is a console that relies so heavily on Mario games doing?  That's the point.  Mario sells very well to the converted but isn't encouraging system sales.  Right now he's the big fish in the very small pond.

Mario didn't sell Gamecubes.  He sells like gangbusters on the Wii following behind a huge killer app in Wii Sports.  Mario doesn't sell Wii Us.  Mario seems to be the game to make once you have a big userbase but something else needs to build that userbase.  The general public won't buy a Nintendo console just for the same old Nintendo franchises, but they will eat up those franchises if they own a Nintendo console.  The trick is to get the system purchase and Nintendo has historically needed something fresh and new to do that, which they haven't offered on the Wii U.

[Stratos]

I'm most curious to see what will happen with Mario Kart 8. That will be a telling number. The Wii one is still a huge seller so will the buyers convert to the U for it? I'm not so sure. When people like my Wife use logic like "we already have a Mario Kart, why do you need another?" I get the feeling a lot of the casual base will use similar logic. Nintendo really needs to differentiate it from the last one for this reason. I think going to something like the dual racer mechanic in Double Dash would have differentiated it a bit more for the casual eye.

[Luigi Dude]

I'm most curious to see what will happen with Mario Kart 8. That will be a telling number. The Wii one is still a huge seller so will the buyers convert to the U for it? I'm not so sure. When people like my Wife use logic like "we already have a Mario Kart, why do you need another?" I get the feeling a lot of the casual base will use similar logic. Nintendo really needs to differentiate it from the last one for this reason. I think going to something like the dual racer mechanic in Double Dash would have differentiated it a bit more for the casual eye.

Mario Kart 8's advantage is the fact Mario Kart has historically been more popular on home consoles then on handhelds.  Since the multiplayer which is the main selling point is more fun when played on one TV around friends and family, that's why Mario Kart Wii sold over 10 million more copies then Mario Kart 8.  In comparison Mario 64 DS and NSMB DS both sold similar numbers to Mario Galaxy and NSMB Wii which shouldn't be too surprising because the single player experience is very similar rather you play it on a handheld or home console.


Since Mario Kart 7 is currently over 9 million on a handheld, that shows Mario Kart as a franchise is still very popular to people who weren't just the Wii casuals.  Since playing on a TV is a much bigger deal to the Mario Kart audience then the Mario platformer audience, Mario Kart 8 should have not only greater appeal at making the Mario Kart 3DS owners start buying Wii U's, but appeal to an even wider audience since there's a lot of the Mario Kart fanbase who only plays it on home consoles so the 3DS version is a non-factor to them unlike the Mario platformers.