'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' is now the fastest-selling Nintendo game of all time, with 12 million copies sold in less than 2 months
- Released on December 9th, 2018, "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is Nintendo's fastest-selling game ever, having already sold more than 12 million copies to date.
- "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is a fighting game for the Nintendo Switch, featuring more than 70 playable characters from across the greatest franchises in video game history.
- The game is already the third best-selling Switch game of all-time, passing "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," which launched with the console in March 2017.
After shipping more than 12 million copies in less than two full months, "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is now officially Nintendo's fastest selling game of all-time.
"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is a fighting game for the Nintendo Switch, featuring more than 70 playable characters from hit video game franchises and an incredible variety of game modes. It's the latest game in a series with a storied history among fans; the "Super Smash Bros." community is passionate, competitive, and constantly engaged.
Based on data directly shared with Nintendo investors, the impressive launch also made "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" the third best-selling Switch game in the console's short history.
Only "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" and "Super Mario Odyssey" have sold more copies so far, with 15 million and 13.76 million units shipped, respectively. "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" launched alongside the Switch in March 2017 and has sold 11.68 million copies so far, putting it just behind "Smash Ultimate."
With "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" helping boost Switch sales, Nintendo had its most successful holiday season since 2009, when the Nintendo Wii and DS ruled the market. Nintendo has sold more than 32 million Switch consoles and plans to ship 35 million units worldwide by the end of March. To put the Switch's success in perspective, Nintendo's previous console, the Wii U, sold just 13.56 million units worldwide in its 5-year lifespan.
Nintendo plans to continue releasing new characters for "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" through February 2020, and will fund development by selling a season pass for the next six downloadable fighters. The company is also planning to hold a series of online tournaments, a rare foray into esports for Nintendo.
The Switch is still a relatively young console, so it's likely that "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" will remain popular for years to come. Becoming Nintendo's best-selling game of all time will be a tall order, though; the top spot belongs to Wii Sports, the game that came with Nintendo's best-selling home console, the Wii. Nintendo has reportedly sold 82.86 million copies of Wii Sports, and 101.63 million Wii consoles.