Nintendo’s Switch Sold Even Better Than the Wii in Americas
Images via Nintendo
The Nintendo Switch is the company’s fastest-selling console ever—even faster than the Wii—according to a series of tweets from a reporter for The New York Times.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told Times reporter Nick Wingfield that the new console’s first two-day sales in America surpassed their previous record for that region. Fils-Aime also noted that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is the highest-selling launch game in Nintendo’s history (not counting the the Wii’s bundled-in Wii Sports, of course). This metric only applies to physical copies of the game, as digital sales numbers were not reported. Still, Breath of the Wild managed to sell more than even the N64’s Super Mario 64 at its launch.
Here’s the whole string of Wingfield’s tweets, detailing the info he got from Fils-Aime:
1. Update on Nintendo Switch sales I’ll break into a multi-tweet. This from an intvw with Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of Amer. Pres
— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017
2. Fri-Sat sales for Nintendo Switch exceeded first 2-day sales in Americas for any system in Nintendo history. Next biggest was Wii.
— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017
3. This is particularly notable given that Switch launched in March, rather than holidays
— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017
4. Zelda for Nintendo Switch the best selling standalone launch title (i.e. not a bundled game a la Wii Sports) in Nintendo history…
— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017
5. …beating Super Mario for N64
— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017
6. Long term comparisons to Wii, which sold more than 100 m LTD, are tough. But good start for Switch, with big games coming.
— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017
It should be kept in mind that within six days of its launch, the Nintendo Wii was reportedly able to move 600,000 units in only six days in the Americas, which the Switch very well might not be able to accomplish. Only time (and Nintendo) can tell.
The increased sales are less surprising when one considers Nintendo’s bold new marketing strategy: actually advertising their products. Nintendo dropped $5 million for their first-ever 30-second Super Bowl spot this year, which you can check out here.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the Switch didn’t quite outpace the Wii’s initial sales, though it might have just barely sneaked past the Wii U’s launch numbers.
Expect to hear much more concerning the Switch’s sale figures, considering how the console has only been officially out for four days now. Be sure to check back with Paste soon for updates on Nintendo’s popular new system.