Nintendo has one million seller per console in last quarter

by JC Fletcher on Jul 29th 2011 3:00PM

The NPD suggested that audiences were receptive of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (by which we mean they bought it), but new data from Nintendo reveals just how successful the game was in its debut month.

In its list of million-selling first-party titles for the last quarter (ending June 30), Ocarina of Time is the only 3DS game listed, having sold 1.08 million copies -- approximately 270,000 in Japan, 810,000 elsewhere.

Nintendo's other platforms also feature one lonely million seller each ... well, technically there are two on the DS, combined: Pokemon Black and White sold 1.36 mllion in the quarter, bringing it up to a global life-to-date total of 12.87 million. And Mario Kart Wii repped for the Wii all by itself, selling 1.22 million in the quarter, up to a ridiculous 2.82 million lifetime total.

Source: Nintendo (PDF)

Tags: 3ds, ds, mario-kart-wii, nintendo, pokemon-black-and-white, sales, the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time, the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-3d, wii

Reader Comments (70)

Ouch... I don't know what should be sadder.
That Zelda is the smallest of the three...
or that Zelda only sold less than 300k copies in Japan...

@DevilSei 300,000 in one week.

@DevilSei
Zelda was released like, yesterday, give it time son.

@DevilSei
Zelda is the newest and the install base of the DS/Wii is much better since they have been out for years.

@all of the above

Heh true enough but still... it stings a little, considering that one would imagine Japan embracing the game the most.

@DevilSei
Despite its critical acclaim, Zelda's never been as big in Japan as it is in the West, especially in its 3D iterations.

@DevilSei Sadder? No, Nintendo deserves this.

@DevilSei
Considering only four of the twenty Zelda games that have been out in Japan have broke a million, it looks like it might become the fifth by the end of the 3DS lifespan.

People need to have more faith in Nintendo. Once the other first-party 3DS games come out like Mario 3DS and Star Fox 64 3D they'll be back on top in no time.

@LittleMofreaky

The $70 price cut can't hurt.

And by that I meant $80. Me math good.

@Rollins True, now it costs as much as the DS Lite did when it came out (which sold like crazy)

@Rollins Good you am!

@LittleMofreaky

I think the DS Lite was $125.

@LittleMofreaky

It's amazing how every six months the gaming community convinces itself of Nintendo's imminent demise... only to be shocked when the company again succeeds in spite of uncertainty.

Will they ever learn?

I think you meant 28.23 million lifetime for Mario Kart Wii (decimal point oops!), which is most certainly ridiculous.

@Rollins
28M?!?! Holy canolli!
But, I just don't get it. I love Mario Kart. Have been playin' it since 1992. I played the Wii version for about an hour, was despleased with it and never bought it. Why is the overall reaction to this game so good?

@Rollins I was a little surprised that a game years old managed to almost double it's previous sale total so quickly. Thanks for the note!

@Rollins

I knew something was terribly wrong with that number.

@TheShaper

Quick question! What controller did you use? Having played it with the "classic pro/Gamecube" controller it actually seemed pretty good.

@TheShaper
Matter of taste. I loved the Wii version; it's the Mario Kart I've played most (with possible exception of the original on SNES; back then game consoles didn't record how long you played games, so I have no idea).

The DS version was okay but online sucked; Wii had great online (until the cheaters really kicked into gear, at least).

GC version was fine... but Wii was a bit better plus it had online. What's not to like?

And yes I played using the wheel, it was fun and control generally worked fine (imo there's a slight advantage to using controller, but a pretty small one, the wheel worked really well and is more fun so whatever).

As for why it's sold 28 million - well assume your only Nintendo home system is a Wii, because like most people you either didn't have a GC or you sold it / gave it away / put it up in the loft years ago, same for N64. That means your only option for playing Mario Kart, short of some VC crap, is Mario Kart Wii. Who would want to have a Nintendo system without Mario Kart? That's crazy talk.

@Rollins

wow... 28.3m ... and it did it silently. The other games seem to have a huge impact then die off quickly, selling 10m in their first year and then nothing. This game is just unreal... it's got to be the online multiplayer that makes people want to keep playing.

It's just scary, 28.3m, at $50 per game that's what, 141.5m? from 1 game... that STILL sells 1m per quarter? I'm going to assume that game costed very little to develop. Just a wild guess... no more than 2-3m?

When I see games like Call of Duty sell "record numbers" by selling 8 million copies in a month or whatever it is, I wonder how much value is put into that achievement. The cost of development for those games is much higher, and after the initial sales they stop selling.

It prints money indeed...

@Rollins

Thank you. I hope they correct the article so people like me don't have to stare at the figures for 3 minutes thinking "that.... doesn't look right...."

@tchuks

I play Mario Kart a lot. And it's not the online multiplayer for sure. It's laggy, people disconnect all the time, and there are cheaters on the time trials.

I've owned the SNES, N64, GC, GBA, DS, and now the Wii Mario Kart, and I find the Wii as one of the worst. SNES and GC were the best IMO (N64 was good too though)

@Rollins Good call! I was wondering what happened that a game that old sold half it's lifetime sales in the last three months.

@killerjuice You must have a slow Internet connection or something. Both Mario Kart Wii and DS both have very active online communities, and they both have a silky smooth framerate and no lag when playing online.

People is waiting for a 3DS lite or something. Nintendo released a new DS model like every year.

I sometimes wonder if Nintendo would make more money if they just dropped the consoles and focused on remaking every game they have ever made for the PlayStation, PSP, Xbox, and mobile phones.

@eat it

Why would they do that when they can just keep re-making them for new consoles and selling $200 pieces of hardware along with them?

@eat it

I sometimes wonder if Sony should sell its Ips to microsoft and focus on making the next walkman.

@eat it

Yea I think they are making a lot of money selling their games with their consoles.

@eat it

I sometimes wonder if Microsoft should sell all their original IPs and focus on developing a new "Zune."

@eat it

I sometimes wonder if eat it is THIRTEEN YEARS OLD with a mental disorder brought on by his own doing involving sniffing spray paint.

Next year's big release will be Majora's Mask. Then in 2013 it will be time for OoT again. And you dummies LOVE IT.

@Dick Socrates You seem mad, bro.

@Dick Socrates I never played OoT, so it was a great opportunity to play an excellent game. I would also buy Majora's Mask again. Not everybody played these games when they were new.

@Theneverendingsoda So do that. Complaining about it makes zero sense. Remasters of music happen very often and it's often celebrated. Why should games be any different?

@Theneverendingsoda

Wait you own these games already?!! WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME!!

Remakes totally not worth it any more guys. Some random dude on the internet has played these games already.

@Dick Socrates Oh, come one, now. If it weren't for the remake, an entire generation might not have known about Ocarina of Time, and Skyward Sword might have blown them away!

OOT really hasn't been released that much, the gamecube releases were a pre-order bonus (with first release of master quest) and a compilation disc so they were both good deals. Then on the Wii they just did a virtual console release, which it would be really dumb for the VC to not have it just so they could say they hadn't released it on the Wii.

And now we have the 3DS version which has major graphical improvements and is the first real retail release of master quest, plus the first portable OOT. So 3 retail releases in 4 generations of one of the best rated games ever, they could have actually done 5 if they had done a wiimote controlled release and a DS release. The demand is there, but Nintendo isn't really overdoing it.

@Theneverendingsoda

Hey simpleton this might surprise you but not everyone has played all these games. The video game compilations and remakes are an excellent way to reach new gamers that don't have access to old hardware.

Moreover, for people like me that haven't touched some of these games in over a decade; remakes are an excellent way to revisit old games. I haven't purchased OoT yet but it's definitely on the list should I get a 3DS. The updated graphics, portability, and enhanced features are more than worth the price of entry.

@Theneverendingsoda ...You seriously think that a person is stupid because they enjoy playing their favourite games, remastered in high definition with bonus content and trophies/achievements?

...This boy ain't right...

@NaeemTHM - Beatles remasters? But I've already heard Revolver!

Blade Runner Director's Cut? Shit, but I already saw Blade Runner back in the theatres.

@My Prerogative

Do I smell a Zero Punctuation reference?

@Theneverendingsoda The reason we're disagreeing with you is not because you disagree with the idea of HD remakes, its because you seem to have a superiority complex to go along with it.

1.08 million copies! Whoa...basically everyone with a 3DS got OoT. Very nice. Hopefully this will push Nintendo to remake Majora's Mask as well.

@NaeemTHM I think Ben will have his wrath if MM 3DS doesn't come out. "You shouldn't have done that." OH GOD THE ELEGY LINK STATUE IN 3D! *shivers*

Please Nintendo, no more OoT style zeldas (after SS) until I get a Link's adventure 2.

@Theneverendingsoda
i checked ebay and gamefaqs with no hits for 'links adventure 2' or 'adventure of link 2'. where did you find it on ebay?

@TwEE

Link's adventure is "The legend of Zelda" 2. But want I want is a new zelda in the style of Adventures of link with a huge overworld, rpg elements and and while in the sidescrolling sections have link fight and control like Smash bros link.

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The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Nintendo has one million seller per console in last quarter

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Posted: Jul 29th 2011 3:02PM DevilSei said

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