Since its release, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has broken records around the globe. In Australia and New Zealand, it's no different. The company's biggest crossover in history has now officially become the fastest-selling home console Nintendo game ever released within the two countries - surpassing existing launch sales of titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
According to Nintendo Australia, Ultimate's sales over the first three days locally were 80 per cent higher than Super Mario Odyssey, which has gone on to sell more than 12 million copies worldwide. Another amazing fact is how five of Nintendo's ten best-ever game launches locally are now on the Switch.
In the supplied PR, Nintendo Australia's Managing Director Kamon Yoshimura made the following comments about Ultimate's success:
“We are thrilled that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is now both the fastest-selling game in the series and our fastest-selling home console game in Australia and New Zealand. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the biggest Super Smash Bros. ever, and we look forward to bringing exciting experiences to players in 2019 with new games in the Animal Crossing and Pokémon series, alongside Yoshi’s Crafted World, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and more.”
This success follows strong sales in the US, Europe and Japan. In its launch week, Ultimate sold 1.2 million copies in Japan. In the US, the game has already shifted 3 million copies and across Europe, it has become the fastest-selling Nintendo home console game of all-time.
Are you surprised by the success of Smash so far? Do you expect it to eventually surpass lifetime sales of Nintendo's other major releases? Tell us in the comments.
Comments (33)
Smashing!
This is pretty much the most hyped Switch game ever made so no surprise there
I expected it to sell super well--it is the biggest Nintendo game of the year, after all--but I wasn't expecting anything as insane as it being the fastest/best-selling Switch game in basically every region. It really is the ultimate Smash game!
Et tu, Aussie and New Zealand ?!
Wow !
Man I am honestly more interested than ever for almost any game, to hear globe sales numbers! I imagine it has already shifted 5 million copies world wide. Probably more!
@ReaderRagfihs All of them.
So what I think I'm hearing is that Smash is doing well.
@Heavyarms55 it was reported as 3 million the first 11 days, so it probably isn't that high unless it did almost a million a day since.
@nintendosage 3 Million in USA only. Heavy was talking about worldwide.
Hope they ain't banking on the new Pokemon, Yoshi or Fire Emblem selling like Smash...cause I get the feeling they won't.
Ultimate is still Smashing records left and right I see.
@ReaderRagfihs: Sakurai will buy all the beach houses, then will theme each one for each fighter, spirit, and assist trophy.
@Kinoen
Next year's Pokemon entry will probably sell more than Smash Bros Ultimate at launch.
@Kinoen Why would Nintendo expect Yoshi or Fire Emblem to sell as much as Smash? Does everything on Switch now need to sell more than Smash be considered a success? Does everything on PS4 need to outsell GTAV or RDR2 to be considered successes? And why would a Pokémon not outsell a Smash game? When has a mainline Pokémon game not outsold a Smash Bros. game? Why would it change now?
@Kinoen
Why would they be banking on Fire Emblem or Yoshi selling like Smash?
I was having a yarn with some random dude in the queue at JB HiFi who was also getting smash the moment the shop was open. Never happened to me before in NZ!
@Heavyarms55 3+ miliion in US alone, almost 2 million in Japan (excluding digital sales). fastest selling Europe and Australia region. It is easy near 7 -8 million already.
Why because everyone can join in the Smashing success....
@Kinoen Fire Emblem and Yoshi will absolutely sell no where near the numbers Smash is seeing. However, seeing as neither are holiday releases they're certainly not supposed to. Pokemon on the other hand... definitely could. You may notice that many countries are adding "fastest selling CONSOLE game." This is because Sun and Moon are THE fastest selling (handheld or console) games in Nintendo history
@Klunk23
Exactly this.
If Detective Pikachu is a hit, and Pokemon Go can continue maintaining a solid playerbase, next year's Pokemon Gen 8 will be massive.
And as a positive side note, it looks like the switch had a solid install base globally which is good news looking forward
Nintendo are still doomed right?.
No surprise. It's been a drought since major titles and the Switch install base is much larger than a year ago.
@Ham-n-jam : Your story reminded me of when I was waiting in the queue at Target (the latest wave of amiibo had been released at the time, which included Ness). There were three of us in the queue, all Middle Eastern, and I was at the back end of a jock to nerd gradient. I thought that was brilliant.
I missed out on Ness and had to go to a secluded JB Hi-Fi, which still had some in stock.
@Aerona
Well I just got ninja-d!
Not surprised.
Sooooo, What is...
"The Fastest-Selling Home Console Game In Australia And New Zealand"
I can't stand when marketing makes a subsection of data. I always end up wanting to know the main data 😣
Seems like Nintendo put out a memo to all head honchos to say the exact same thing across regions. I kinda recognise this statement
"Ultimate is the biggest Super Smash Bros. ever, and we look forward to bringing exciting experiences to players in 2019 with new games in the Animal Crossing and Pokémon series, alongside Yoshi’s Crafted World, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and more.”
@westman98
I dunno, maybe. If they "Mario Odyssey" or "Breath of the Wild" it, I can more easily see it, but if they keep it as they have been for the past decade, I can't.
@Mrtoad
Because I'm heavily biased in favor of Smash.
No.
No, but that would incredibly impressive.
Because Pokemon has been stagnate for the past decade where Smash keeps getting bigger and better.
Smash Ultimate outsold Let's Go Eevee and Pikachu.
@electrolite77
Because they mentioned those games when discussing the success of Smash Ultimate and assume if a company sells one product incredibly well, they would want that for all their products.
@Klunk23
The only fast selling Pokemon game I found was X and Y selling 4 million copies in two days.
But like I said previously, Pokemon COULD outsell Smash, I'm just biased in favor of Smash, plus I have been feeling incredibly burned out with Pokemon, since they are all virtually the same (outside of the spin-offs like Pokken).
@Agramonte
It’s not even a marketing thing though. Oceania is a territory on its own right with a population of 30 million plus that, like everywhere else, has been buying Nintendo games for 30(ish) years. Any game, in 2018, becoming the fastest selling Nintendo game in this or any other territory has done extremely well and is noteworthy news. It would be huge news if a Sony or MS equivalent did the same. When you’re racing against 30/23/17 years worth of games being the fastest seller is huge.
@Kinoen
Pokemon Sun/Moon is Nintendo's fastest-selling game ever, handheld or home console.
Unless next year's Pokemon entry pulls a "Fallout 76", I can't see it not outselling Smash Bros at launch. Mind you, the Switch's install base will be 15+ million units larger in November 2019 than in December 2018.
@westman98
Like I mentioned in my reply to Klunk23, I only found that X and Y was the fastest selling Pokemon game.
Don't jynx it now, given how so many Triple A companies are fighting to be the worst currently. I don't want that for Nintendo >_> Noted and I'm saying its impossible for Pokemon to outsell Smash, just in my biased, burnt out opinion, it shouldn't unless it completely changes the formula.
@Kinoen
To be fair, Smash Bros Ultimate didn't exactly shake up the formula either, yet it sold phenomenally well.
And Pokemon Sun/Moon is the fastest-selling Pokemon game, though X/Y was no slouch.
@westman98 True, but from what I've seen, Pokemon sales have been on a decline since Red and Blue.
Again, I cannot find anything that supports what you are saying about Sun and Moon.
@Kinoen
https://www.polygon.com/2016/11/30/13797626/pokemon-sun-and-moon-sales-record
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-11-30-pok-mon-sun-and-moon-sales-hit-1-5m-in-europe
https://nintendoeverything.com/pokemon-sunmoon-become-fastest-selling-nintendo-games-in-australia/
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