Reggie vs Iwata

We're now very close to the peak shopping season for 2014, and Nintendo will be throwing out major releases in a bid to secure major sales success for both Wii U and 3DS. For the Wii U much rides on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and the amiibo range, while on 3DS the main focus will be Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire.

While Nintendo has already highlighted that pre-order trends for the new Pokémon games are out-performing last year's X & Y, some further positivity has come from Nintendo of America's statement that Super Smash Bros. for Wii U pre-orders in its region are at record levels for the home console — the franchise has always been a huge hit Stateside. Speaking to Bloomberg, NoA's President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime highlighted how this was continuing the positive momentum generated by Mario Kart 8 earlier in the year.

The launch of Mario Kart 8 has essentially doubled our Wii U sales year-on-year. Our expectation is that the sell-through for Smash is going to be very strong, certainly on par with what we saw with Mario Kart 8. We think the impact on hardware will be similarly dramatic.

...Consumers buy the hardware so they can play the software. When you have a robust library of games, that’s when consumers jump in.

In the video interview below, meanwhile, Fils-Aime discusses amiibo, Nintendo's aim to appeal to a wide demographic of gamers and the inevitable question about smart devices.

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Let us know what you think of these Smash Bros. pre-order comments, and Fils-Aime's broader interview, in the comments below.

Thanks to all that sent this in.

[source bloomberg.com]