Super Mario 3D World

Last week we reported that Super Mario 3D World had sold 99,588 copies in its first week in Japan, making it the lowest debut for a 3D Mario platformer, although this does not take into account eShop download sales. The game came in at number 2 in the Japanese charts behind Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3; the arrival of the latest Mario instalment saw Wii U hardware sales increase by about 5,000 in the region.

Media Create, the primary Japanese sales tracker, has reported that Super Mario 3D World sold 57.17% of its initial shipment. This means that Nintendo had shipped roughly 175,000 copies at launch, a surprisingly low figure given the strength of the Mario brand. This could mean that Nintendo had realistic expectations given the Wii U’s install base, or that retailers weren’t willing to stock any more copies of the game at launch.

Here’s a list of first week sales for other 3D Mario entries:

1) Super Mario 3D Land - 344,698 (1,861,023 total)
2) Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 337,569 (1,032,853 total)
3) Super Mario Sunshine - 280,610 (789,989 total)
4) Super Mario Galaxy - 256,341 (1,025,664 total)
5) Super Mario 64 - 162,113 (1,639,914 total)
6) Super Mario 64 DS - 120,062 (1,231,535 total)

Nintendo have high hopes that Super Mario 3D World will not just be a system seller this holiday season, but also a title that will sell well over the next few years.

[source siliconera.com, via neogaf.com]