It remains to be seen how well the Wii U sold in its first full year on the market, but at least one Nintendo console flourished in 2013. According to a recent press release, Nintendo sold more than 16 million physical and digital 3DS games last year, a 45% increase in year-over-year sales. The 3DS family (which includes the 3DS, 3DS XL and 2DS) has also surpassed more than 11.5 million sales in the U.S. There were plenty of great games for the portable console released in 2013, including the new Pokemon titles and the system seller that is The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Another long-awaited sequel, Yoshi’s New Island, is set to lead the charge in 2014 as Nintendo tries to top its record once again. The full press release can be found below.
Nintendo 3DS Poised for Strong 2014 after Record-Setting Game Sales in 2013
January 10, 2014 08:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Shoppers bought Nintendo 3DS games in record numbers in 2013, and Nintendo plans more great games to continue the momentum in 2014. Here is a recap of 2013 by the numbers:
- More than 16 million combined packaged and digital Nintendo 3DS games were sold in 2013, an increase of more than 45 percent over 2012’s Nintendo 3DS game sales.
- The Nintendo 3DS family of portable systems, which also includes Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS, has crossed lifetime hardware sales of more than 11.5 million in the United States alone.
- Seven Nintendo 3DS games that launched in 2013 have a Metacritic score of 85 or higher, including two games at 90+ (The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Fire Emblem Awakening).
“Nintendo 3DS is a powerhouse with games and experiences that appeal to all kinds of players,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “We’re not slowing down in 2014. With more games featuring fan-favorite franchises on the way, the best days of Nintendo 3DS are still to come.”
Nintendo has great Nintendo 3DS games planned for early 2014 to keep the momentum going. Yoshi’s New Island launches March 14 in stores and in the Nintendo eShop. The game is being produced by Takashi Tezuka, the creative director of the original Yoshi’s Island for Super NES. Yoshi reunites with Baby Mario in a gorgeous landscape to help him to safety. Flutter jumps, ground pounds and egg throws all return, along with some new actions that use the unique features of Nintendo 3DS.
Disney Magical World is a new game featuring dozens ofDisney characters in a variety of Disney-themed worlds. Players can customize their characters with hundreds of Disney-themed outfits and accessories, all while managing a café, planting crops and collectingDisney character cards. Players help different characters solve problems or find missing items. The game launches in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on April 11.A free demo of Square Enix’s amazing RPG Bravely Default is now available exclusively in the Nintendo eShop. The extensive demo features content not included in the main game, but players who purchase the full game can transfer some of their data. The full game launches in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on Feb. 7.
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy challenges players with more than 150 mind-bending puzzles. In this final installment in the second Professor Layton trilogy, players embark on a worldwide adventure in search of lost Azran artifacts. The game launches Feb. 28 in stores and in the Nintendo eShop.
Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii U™ and Wii™ home consoles, and Nintendo 3DS™ and Nintendo DS™ families of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 4.1 billion video games and more than 659 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™, Nintendo GameCube™ and Wii systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s website at http://www.nintendo.com.
