Digital video game sales have reached an all-time high this year. Just last week, for example, FIFA 21's digital sales in the UK outsold physical purchases at launch for the first time ever.
Now, according to SuperData's monthly report for September, Super Mario 3D All-Stars has set a new digital launch sales record for Mario games on the Nintendo Switch.
The game reportedly sold 1.8 million digital copies in its opening period - meaning it outperformed the digital sales of Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Maker 2 and Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.
No other information was provided, but we're guessing sales have been fueled partly by nostalgia and the fact this is a "limited-time" release that Nintendo says will be removed from the eShop at the end of March next year.
Earlier this week, NPD's industry Analyst, Mat Piscatella, shared his own theory about what might happen to each of these games in the 3D All-Stars collection after this date:
“I don't think these games will disappear, like what would happen with the old school Disney Vault. But I think there may be additional flexibility and buying options. For example, à la carte purchasing options on eShop."
He also noted how strong sales and demand for 3D All-Stars should give Nintendo "additional confidence in bringing other legacy titles" to its new platforms.
Did you contribute to Super Mario 3D All-Stars' digital launch sales? Tell us down in the comments.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments (81)
Yes i contributed... 2 copies + 1 digital!
I hate your cheap EA tactiks nintendo!
It’s the McPizza of video games. People will buy it but pizza can definitely taste better than that garbage. At least it comes with chips.
It might be more interesting for everyone to list the relative proportion of physical and digital sales for each title as a matter of course...
I’m not interested in buying these games again, but 3D World will tempt me back a second time around, yes indeedy
Superdata is unreliable when it comes to their digital console sales data, and that's before taking into account the fact that Nintendo never shares their 1st party eShop sales numbers.
With that being said, it is pretty much guaranteed that 3D All-Stars had the biggest digital launch of any Mario game.
nothing about this "collection" was better than Super Mario Odyssey though
@magicismoney It's three critically acclaimed platformers in one package instead of one and there's people who like each one just as much or more than Odyssey.
I think some have greatly underestimated just how much people like these games.
Wow.... doesn’t people like Mario? I mean, it had 3 great games in a single package... what’s to hate?
It could have been better, yes, but to hate this collection? Really?
I got my money’s worth.
@magicismoney indeed Odyssey is by far the best 3D Mario game.
Id only buy digital as a last resort.
Managed to get 2 x physical copies, one for me and one for my brother in law
To be fair its only real competition in that category is Mario Odyssey and there were a lot less Switch's back then. Still its great to see and who knows, with some more care and attention it may have performed even better. Lets hope this convinces Nintendo to bring some of its older titles to Switch and not just Wii U games
Yet they want it to be a limited release. Seems legit. 😒
I did not bother with buying the remastered collection. This has nothing to offer, except soundtracks for all 3 games.
@magicismoney I had far more fun with Mario 64 than Odyssey. For me it has better controls (Mario is faster and has additional moves) better music, better level design and I don't need to change into other characters and learn new controls every 5 seconds. Granted the camera is a pain but I had an absolute blast with it while Odyssey and it's unrewarding 800 stars never clicked with me abd became dull.
I'm just about tempted to rage quit Mario Sunshine though thanks to some of the FLUDD-less levels (at the moment Mystery of the Dirty Lake) How is this meant to be a kid friendly game?! It's a shame because I absolutely love the regular levels.
BTW the sales might have more to do with Nintendo's weak holiday lineup this year than the limited edition thing, plus the fact that it's three 3D Mario titles for the price of one game. I HIGHLY doubt most casual gamers, children and parents will even know it's limited.
2 physical copies.. 1 digital for me
@Saladin786 yeah and all 3 amazing games..... no content here guys.. bet you get over 100 presents at christmas dont ya saladin
@westman98 They could be correct though. They were bang on with the digital sales for Animal Crossing in its launch month.
Maybe these figures will convince Nintendo to complete the set with a port of Galaxy 2.
And maybe it'll inform them that Metroid Prime Trilogy HD will also sell like hot cakes since we clearly want the main 3D masterpieces of the past on the Switch.
Still not sold out in local stores here.
@JSG87
Guesstimations being within reality doesn't make them more than guesstimations.
Just wait until they release the Zelda 3D All Stars Collection with a limited release! Let the feeding frenzy begin!
@Marios-love-child ”managed”. Congratulations, their still readily available for anyone to buy. It’s a limited time release, not limited amount. Whoever wants to can just buy this, physically or digitally, for months to come. No need for anyone to pay any scalpers.
That's genuinely quite sad, the fact such a lazy and shoddy collection can sell that well even with scummy sales tactics really sets a bad precedent.
I was hoping Nintendo would learn from this, but if it sells anyways then why try to be better?
Gamers on Social Media and Internet forums- “Oh this is outrageous the resolution is only this and it’s a limited release and there’s no interviews with the developers and there’s a Game missing and howllllll”
Most of the rest of the world- “Three Classic Mario games on one cart? Sold!”
Usually how it goes TBH
@Clyde_Radcliffe
This would have sold like mad whenever it was released IMO
@SirKif
Seriously??? Aww no.... I paid nearly £200 for my 2nd copy off someone on ebay. I trusted him as well because he had really good feedback.
I feel such a fool now, didn't realise I could have just gone into a shop and bought one at the regular price
played mario galaxy this month for the first time, i must say i was sceptical about the setting and gamep play, but its truly a masterpiece:)
still mario odyssee is imo the best mario game ever made, followed by 3d world, sMW.
what i realy like about odyssey was that you could transform into enemies and it has 2d levels in it.
i hope nintendo will add more of those levels in the next mario game:)
I doubt the fact it is a limited release had any impact on its sales. The collection was going to sell this well in September regardless.
I haven't bought it yet but will before years end.
Do you really think people heard it was going to only be available til March 21 so bought it right away?! Come on.
I wouldn’t have downloaded it if it had not been a limited release.
I didn't buy the collection because I don't have nostalgia having never played the games. Going by reviews it's one good game and two mediocre games which didn't sound my cup of tea. I'm happy to wait until I can buy the good one individually and for less. I'm happy for all who enjoyed it though. I'm also glad the sale success people contributed to will encourage Nintendo to release more collections which sounds great!
Happy gaming!
Great games no surprise
I got it day 1 and by far it's a great deal for someone like me. I never played Sunshine and Galaxy. I finished Sunshine at 88 shines. I'm surprised I made it that far I mean that game brings some serious pain. No need to revisit that topic. I 100% Galaxy and oh wow was that game amazing. Loved it. I originally said I have no interest in Mario 64 (100% the original and DS versions back in the day) but here I am about 50 stars in and still having a great time doing it. So I'm definitely in the camp of saying this collection is worth every penny. If you want more "bonus" stuff or whatever go on You Tube I'm sure there's hours of videos on anything of these games.
Bought mine physical on day one, happy it’s selling well but I hope physical games continue for a long time not just digital.
@Yellow gee you must live a miserable life. Dont be a sheep dude
@TheFullAndy on no... the limited sale helped big time... wouldnt of bought 3 copies if that wasnt the case
@Marios-love-child no need to tell ya now..... but what the hell.... thats just stupid dude
@KnightsTemplar Nice one calling me the sheep when you call people who don't like a game 'miserable'. I'm not some guy who just bashes Nintendo 24/7, I think Nintendo are alright, I'd just like for them to be better and be more consumer friendly, that's all.
You know, at least a Collector's Edition is supposed to be rare, so it makes sense that it's being scalped. Nintendo has absolutely no excuse for the Mario pin set though.
@KnightsTemplar
You bought 3 copies and you called someone else a sheep?!
Irony.
I buy physical whenever possible, unless there's a ridiculous sale on digital. Too many hoops to jump through with digital when there are 3 Switches in the house.
@KnightsTemplar Allow me to educate you at what other game collections have done in the past:
Megaman X Collection 1 and 2 on the Switch: Offered not just games, but concept art, trailers, lineup of merchandise over the years, neat wallpapers to customize your look while you play.
Sonic Mega Collection and MC+: Gives you 7 games (6 additional game gear games on MC+), artwork, concept art, comic book covers released over the years, elaborate manuals to look at.
What does Super Mario 3D All Stars have to offer?
3 games, re-released in HD, and a full soundtrack for each game accompanied with it.
Sorry, but that alone is not worth the $60. It is very bare bones and nothing has changed. I can easily emulate all 3 games on my Android and can still enjoy them just as much without having to purchase 3 re-released games that had little to no effort put into them, ESPECIALLY with Super Mario 64. They had the perfect opportunity to give the game a MAJOR upscale in graphics, much like how Spyro and Crash Collections went through. And they could not even do that.
Bought it, love it. Value for money is a subjective thing, but for me this is worth every penny I paid for it. A serious contender for my favourite gaming purchase of 2020, and I've bought some good games this year.
@Saladin786 I’ll agree that Mario 3D All Stars is barebones and a lazy effort by Nintendo and could’ve been more reasonably priced, but saying “I can easily illegally pirate these games on my phone instead” isn’t exactly a compelling argument. It would be like saying a new car is too expensive because I could just steal one instead.
This is why Nintendo can do whatever they want. Consumers really are mindless.
@thesilverbrick I mean, I do have the actual physical copies so I can enjoy them at home, but if I had a choice between pirating the games on the go for free, or wasting $60 on a barebones HD collection with barely any content and just re-released titles with upscaled graphics, I'd lean more toward the former.
@JohnnyC glad you are enjoying it!!!
@KnightsTemplar So you bought 3 copies of the same game and you're calling other people a sheep
Suuurreee
@thesilverbrick I think the point he's making is that for collections like these you're buying them for the novelty of having the games physically in a single place, so they could've added value to the games included or even stuff like extras in the menu
Nothing in 3D All Stars really sounds like it's a better option than just emulating the games except for the bare minimum of just owning the games physically, and it's by far the weakest collection of legacy content I've seen this gen by far. Even third party collections on Switch like the ones for Mega Man/X/Zero and the Konami Anniversary series blow this out of the water in terms of sheer value and content
Downloaded day one. Playing Mario 64 most days have got 70 stars several times, gonna do one more time, and then the big one gonna go for 120, haven’t done since 1998! Xx I am happy xx
@TheFrenchiestFry I agree with what you’re saying about the quality of the collection Nintendo is selling (or lack thereof). I’m just saying that while theft and piracy definitely do make things cheaper, they’re not exactly a viable alternative.
@thesilverbrick They definitely aren't, but if I have to pay for the novelty of actually officially playing these games, especially since I've never owned Sunshine physically and I've never played the original Mario 64, I'd at least prefer if Nintendo actually put some effort into making the collection feel more whole and like it's actually something beyond a bunch of emulated ports I can easily just choose to play on Dolphin.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars is the most successful Mario game because it's three Mario games, not just one. Super Mario Odyssey is better than any single game in the All-Stars collection, but it can't compete with all three of them combined.
@magicismoney ?
@1UP_MARIO you got your posters 😊
@Snatcher If you hate Nintendo so much to make defamatory comments about them, why are you on a Nintendo fan site?
It’s actually not hard at all to find. I’ve seen 2 local Best Buy’s by me have piles of them in their locked cage and both Walmart’s my family and I go to also have tons. We’ll see how many are still there come Christmas time though. @Marios-love-child
@Donkey-Kong-Fan You know even tho you hate somthing you can like it? hmm maybe not, but a'lot of use here hate that nintendo put allstars up for a limited time ask anyone, you can tell me you have never rant about somthing you like, I love the hell out of mario galaxy its my most fav game ever but I have my set of gripes about it idk why you think I have to love everything nintendo does to be a nintendo fan.
All my local stores have a mountain of copies in stock.
@Donkey-Kong-Fan 1) It's probably because he loves the company and the games, but hates the strategy surrounding this particular release. I mean, the Wii U ports are questionable too, but they don't draw half the criticisms and backlash because they aren't nearly as disgraceful.
2) It's not defamation if it's true.
Can someone explain to me why some people are upset about it being a limited time release? I honestly want to know. My mind set is, if you want it, buy it. I know some people are short on money, but I feel like most anyone could save up 60$ bucks in 6 months.
@nin64man They are mad bc its like a fear tactic to get people to buy it within the time given and its pretty cheap.
I am happy that is selling so well, but... I do worry this may give Nintendo the wrong idea into thinking that "limited release" are a good thing.
@electrolite77
Expect a repeat of this next year when The Legend of Zelda 3D All-Stars is announced, released, and has the biggest launch of any Zelda game (until Breath of the Wild 2).
I think it's great and maybe I'm a bit mindless, but they put out games like this I'll buy them. They don't need to remake these with better graphics, they took the time to make these games right the first time. If they change the graphics drastically here, they'll lose all their charm. The higher resolutions and improved textures were all they really needed to match with today's HD TVs and they did that so I got no complaints. These are some of the best games ever, it's great to have them available on the Switch.
Pity. It gives Nintendo more reason to lazily throw games to the Nintendo meatboys on here fighting over every crumb to give Nintendo money.
All three titles are available to play in a massively enhanced form by fans. Why would anyone pay for a broken collection with substandard control is beyond me.
I too got two physical copies, one for me and one for a relative. No digital copies here.
@westman98
Yup. Sure as eggs is eggs.
@Dr_Lugae I agree 💯. Like I get that the collection itself seems rushed and subpar and lacking in every way. But these are three amazing games that people love and have fond nostalgia for. Why are we trying to shoot that down and act surprised that this sold well?
@westman98 @SwitchplayerJohn
Yes! And expect a lot of howling when the Zelda 3D collection doesn’t include Majora’s Mask.
Actually, if N64 games came to NSO, then the Zelda 3D collection could be Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword.
Limited release leads to high demand. But this has been Nintendo's schtick for a while now so no surprise there.
@Tandy255
I doubt Nintendo won't include Ocarina of Time in Zelda 3D All-Stars - it would be the equivalent of not including Mario 64 in Mario 3D All-Stars.
@Sissyrobyn996 yeah I'm not sure it's a cheap tactic but it's certainly unsubtly manipulative. it being a strategy that's been around a long time doesn't negate that. like the "going out of business" sales the same furniture stores seem to always be having. Or "buy three tires and get the fourth free."
Mario All-Stars on Wii was a similarly limited edition product that sold ~2.5 million copies lifetime before discontinuation.
Mario 3D All-Stars likely sold through ~2.5 million copies in its launch window and ~4 million copies by the end of September, 2 weeks after launch.
Demand for 3D All-Stars is simply very high, limited edition or not.
@Sissyrobyn996 Maby cheap is the wrong word but it sure is manipulative, nintendo gives you a window in when and how long you have to buys said game and bc of scalpers ect people feel the need to buy it see how that works, but you know wat is cheap pricing the game for 60$ and then using emulators on top of not fixing emulator issues, not even that they could have made it 60 fps and they didn't even make 64 in widescreen.
Watch as this piece of news forces them to rescind their original "limited time" stipulation
We did it!! Aren’t we proud, more romdumps for 60 dollar.
We are the best fans, yay!!
Limited number of copies will be produced, still available almost a month later - sounds like it hasn't sold like they were expecting it to
Not shocking One game of Mario In three versions.
No surprise there, each of the 3 games in 3D Allstars is better than the lacklustre Mario Odyssey.
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