NES Classic is Selling Almost 6 Times as Fast as Wii U
By Dalton Cooper 16 December 2016
The NES Classic sells an impressive 196,000 units in the US in the month of November, significantly outpacing the sales of Nintendo’s eighth generation Wii U console.
Nintendo once had high hopes for Wii U. After the huge financial success that was the Wii, which thrust Nintendo back to the top of the console sales charts in the seventh generation, the Big N assumed the Wii U would draw the same numbers. Unfortunately, the Wii U has turned out to be a sales failure, a fact cemented by the news that the NES Classic is selling almost six times as fast as Nintendo’s newest system.
As reported by Ars Technica, citing NPD sales results, the NES Classic sold a whopping 196,000 units in the United States in the month of November. In Japan, the retro console redo was even more popular, with Nintendo managing to sell 261,000 units in the company’s home country. By comparison, the Wii U sold 220,000 units in the US over the six month period from April to September, which is abysmal compared to how the NES Classic is flying off the shelves.
While specific sales figures from Nintendo haven’t been shared yet, one has to imagine that the NES Classic is well on its way to the 1 million units sold milestone. After all, its UK sales haven’t even been revealed yet, but since the NES Classic is sold out everywhere, one has to imagine that it has impressive numbers there as well.
Through the power of nostalgia, the NES Classic has become one of the hottest items this holiday season, to the point that Nintendo has struggled to keep up with demand. Considering its incredible sales success, Nintendo is likely to pull the trigger on producing other retro consoles in a similar vein to the NES Classic.
One product that may emerge before any others is a second version of the NES Classic. There are a number of great NES games that aren’t included in the current NES Classic, so Nintendo could reap the rewards by making those titles available in a followup console. Of course, it may also produce an SNES Classic or Nintendo 64 Classic in the future, especially if the NES Classic remains popular with consumers into the new year.
The success of NES Classic will likely influence Nintendo’s competitors as well. The NES Classic’s retail sales numbers and the crazy prices its going for on eBay prove that gamers are willing to shell out cash for legitimate retro experiences, so don’t be surprised to see a PS1 Classic or even a Sega Genesis Classic announced in the near future.
The NES Classic is available now.
