Nintendo witnessed a remarkable sales performance with its New Nintendo 3DS during the handheld’s recent launch week in Europe and the US. Approximately 335,000 units of this console were sold. The sales data, presented as part of the company’s latest financial briefing, reveals that around 175,000 units were shifted in the US and about 160,000 in Europe.
The two major launch titles for the new system, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, have surpassed the previous versions in their respective series. Majora’s Mask 3D achieved sales of around 340,000 in the US and 230,000 in Europe, while Zelda: A Link Between Worlds had sales of 180,000 and 150,000 respectively. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate sold approximately 110,000 units in Europe, marking an increase from around just 40,000 for MH3U. In the UK, this translated to a 95 per cent sales boost compared to the series’ previous entry.
Nintendo also provided details on the sales of its new Amiibo toy range. A staggering 5.7 million units have been shipped globally. Of these, 63 per cent have landed in the US and Canada, 23 per cent in Europe, 11 per cent in Japan, and 3 per cent in Australia. Link emerged as the most popular figurine in Europe, North America, and Japan. However, in Australia, Mario slightly outperformed the Zelda hero. The top five characters are largely similar across all regions, featuring Pikachu, Yoshi, Samus, and Kirby.
A chart depicting the figurines and which characters were sold through their shipments to customers presents a distinct narrative – that of the more elusive figures that were quickly snapped up. These figures align with many that have remained hard to find since their launch, including Little Mac, Rosalina, Wii Fit Trainer, and the Villager from Animal Crossing.
Nintendo reaffirmed its plans for card-based Amiibo to arrive later in the year, which is thought to potentially be related to a new version of Animal Crossing, similar to the e-Reader cards of the past. The company also mentioned a summer release for its 3DS NFC adaptor for those without an NFC-compatible New 3DS. Additionally, it detailed a free Wii U app that will utilize Amiibo to unlock snippets of Virtual Console titles.
