Wii U Sales Have Passed 12 Million Units Worldwide
By Dalton Cooper 26 January 2016
Nintendo reveals its Q3 financials, announcing the sales numbers for the Wii U, 3DS, amiibo figures, as well as games such as Super Mario Maker and Splatoon.
In the past, Nintendo has struggled to make the case for the Wii U. The console had a strong start, but sales largely stagnated since then, with the console surpassed in sales by both PS4 and Xbox One – two systems that launched a full year after the Wii U hit store shelves. However, Nintendo’s latest quarterly report suggests that Wii U sales may finally be improving.
As of December 31st, 2015, the Wii U has sold 12.6 million units. Six months ago, the Wii U had just passed 10 million units, which shows that the console is starting to sell at somewhat faster rate. A variety of factors could be influencing this, such as its relatively strong lineup of exclusive games, as well as the console’s low price point compared to its competitors.
Nintendo also revealed sales figures for some of the Wii U’s most popular games, and these titles likely played a role in the console’s recent sales success. One such game is the online multiplayer-focused new IP Splatoon, which some once called a risky venture for the company. As it turns out, Splatoon’s strong first week sales weren’t a fluke, as the game has now reached a total of 4.06 million units sold.
Splatoon is even ahead of Super Mario Maker, which was arguably Nintendo’s biggest Wii U release of 2015. Even so, Super Mario Maker is still doing exceptionally well, having reached 3.34 million units sold. Considering that it released in September as opposed to Splatoon releasing in May, it seems likely that Super Mario Maker sales figures will ultimately pull ahead in due time.
Another strong Wii U exclusive is the ever-persistent Mario Kart 8. Mario Kart 8 continues to sell millions of copies, with the game now having reached a total of 7.24 million units sold. This makes Mario Kart 8 the best-selling game on the system, and by a fairly significant margin.
On the handheld side of things, Nintendo faithful should know that the 3DS is continuing to do well. The handheld sold another 3.6 million units in Q3 for the fiscal year, and 3DS software has a reached a lifetime sales figure of 264.53 million units.
Finally, Nintendo also shared sales numbers for its amiibo figures. Previously it was revealed that amiibo have generated $2 billion in revenue for the Big N, but these latest figures are more specific, pointing to 20.5 million individual amiibo figures sold. This is astounding, and is a sign that amiibo are not only here to stay, but will probably become an even bigger focus for the company moving forward.
Overall, Q3 of this fiscal year has been good for Nintendo. Sales are up for its hardware, its first-party software continues to sell well, and amiibo are proving to be an unstoppable smash hit. Even so, it seems unlikely that the Wii U will ever catch up to the Xbox One or PS4, but Nintendo may be able to carry this momentum into the launch of the Nintendo NX.
Source: IGN
