New Mario smashes half a mil

Popular DS title sells more than 500,000 copies in the US in just over a month; Nintendo estimates 20 copies sold every minute.

We've all heard about the success of the DS Lite and how it sold 136,500 units in its first two days on sale. Naturally, with that many more pieces of hardware in gamers' hands, software sales are bound to spike.

Today, Nintendo announced that its current hot handheld game, New Super Mario Bros., has sold more than half a million copies in the US since it was released on May 15. Putting that in perspective, Nintendo claims those figures translate into 20 copies being sold every minute since its launch. The game has consistently been in the top two on US console sales charts, and reclaimed the top spot last week.

The game has also been a hit in Mario's hometown of Japan. Released in the country 10 days after the US version, New Super Mario Bros. has also topped the charts there, where the DS and DS Lite are nothing short of a sales phenomenon.

New Super Mario Bros. appears to be well on its way to busting through the 1 million sold mark, with the European region launch set for late next week.

New Super Mario Bros. is rated E for Everyone and retails for $34.99. To see why people can't get enough of Mario and his slim sibling, read GameSpot's review.

150 Comments

  • Konfusion

    Posted Mar 6, 2007 6:59 am PT

    Berseker_2:
    Well if the "rehashes" are better than the new games, keep them coming then.

  • Berserker_2

    Posted Mar 6, 2007 6:23 am PT

    If you keep buying rehashes, you keep getting rehashes.

  • russelvelcrow

    Posted Jun 27, 2006 11:40 am PT

    I bought a copy the day it came out. Sadly I lost my DS and 10 games about two weeks later. I re-bought New Super Mario Bros before I got my new DS Lite )WHich I also got on the day it was released).

    I hope Nintendo makes a sequel to this game on the DS. They have a habit of making one Super Mario Bros game per system (Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine).

  • Kbs64

    Posted Jun 26, 2006 10:43 pm PT

    OMG, An estimate of 20 copies of NSMB every minute!! Thats Amazing Now thats saying something

  • gertish

    Posted Jun 26, 2006 8:05 am PT

    20 copies every minute? Crazy!

  • Biendeo

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 8:30 pm PT

    No wonder I love it so much and that IGN rated it 9.5/10.

  • tdevil12

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 2:07 pm PT

    I'm glad to hear it's a success in America. I've been in Japan for two months, now, and it's a big hit here.

  • dfee

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 10:50 am PT

    TryMe01 posted:
    "20 copies sold every minute"
    there are 2678400 minutes every month
    2678400 x 20 = 53 568 000 copies of NSMB!!!

    In actuality, 60 mins per hour and 24 hrs. per day means only 1440 mins per day. Multiply by 30 days in a month, and thats 43,200 mins per month. I'd say your calculation is way off! With over 500,000 games sold in the last month, that roughly translates to 11.7 games sold per minute. If you throw in the fact that stores are open about 14 hours every 24 hour period, you're just about exactly at 20 games sold per minute in the US. I'd say the article is just about spot on.

  • KoruKinshi

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 10:46 am PT

    Now that's strong.

    Respect to the plumbers, people. Respect.

  • ymcop

    Posted Jun 25, 2006 8:19 am PT

    cool, I really like Mario series !

  • Hoppe_c80

    Posted Jun 24, 2006 10:25 pm PT

    I own this game and it is awesome!!

  • mariokart64fan

    Posted Jun 24, 2006 8:59 am PT

    nintendo is doing good if they can do this with wii they ll succeed

    [;][]

  • m_e_z_z_a

    Posted Jun 24, 2006 7:24 am PT

    yay i love nintendo games and mario is one of the greatest !!

  • nestea_king

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 8:53 pm PT

    Man, why is Nintendo SO DAMN COOL?!?!?!

  • Eviltwin

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 5:22 pm PT

    Combo; NDS Lite + NSMB = I'm very happy

  • i_love_my_ds

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 3:19 pm PT

    I wanna get this game

  • juvinwo1

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 2:37 pm PT

    got mine the first day it came out, GO NINTENDO!!! you are the BEST!!!

  • synapticflow

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 2:08 pm PT

    Right on Nintendo! I can't wait to play this game. I'm surprised by the one poster on here who had never played a Mario game.

  • MichaelRender

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 11:02 am PT

    Wow that's a lot of mario

  • Da_Mainman_3

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 8:26 am PT

    Prepare to see a similar sales rate come the European launch.

    Actually, it will probably be even faster, since the Lite only started retailing here today, so in about a weeks time everyone will already have the DS when they go to buy the game.

    *Hangs on to his DS Phat for as long as it takes to generate £100*

  • Neoyamaneko

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 7:48 am PT

    There hasn't been a single DS for sale in Japan since the game released. People are selling their DSes used on Yahoo Japan for more than they bought them new.

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 6:54 am PT

    that was quick.... now make the next one longer!

  • mariomaniac92

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 6:26 am PT

    New Super Mario Bros. will probably become the best DS game there is.

  • solidsnakeo

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 6:22 am PT

    i would of had nsmb the day i got my lite but they were out but thats ok i got one now

  • TryMe01

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 5:33 am PT

    "20 copies sold every minute"
    there are 2678400 minutes every month
    2678400 x 20 = 53 568 000 copies of NSMB!!!

    WOW NOW THAT"S A STAT!!

  • Dantes_Monkey

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 4:42 am PT

    amazing, i need to get me a copy of that game bt i still think DS games are overpriced here in the UK. I men why pay as much for a DS game when I can get a PS2 game instead? Still i am getting this no mattter what.

  • Hynaboy

    Posted Jun 23, 2006 12:44 am PT

    I loved the game and crave even more 2d side scrolling action! MMMM imagine a 2d metroid ds. Thats what I am talking about! Still, finishing this mario has made me get even more excited about playing Galaxies! Most wanted game ever! (Maybe apart from Twilight princess!)

  • ghostku1

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 9:35 pm PT

    Seeing this kind of sucess might motivate Nintendo to make a new one so I wouldn't be suprised if I saw a "Newer Mario Bros" on shelves in a year or so.

    P.S Best game I've had for the DS up to now

  • volumesoxxs

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 9:25 pm PT

    whoa, that's crazy

  • whitey3221

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 9:06 pm PT

    and people keep on saying that the Wii will flop. It's pretty obvious to me that people want to keep up with the Mario franchise...even if it's on a handheld people buy it. Mostly PS fanboys that say the Wii will flop anyway, and as most people understand they are probably the least rational of fanboys.

  • boboboj

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 8:57 pm PT

    this game might beat nintendogs 6 million copy sold

  • Kingsnake976

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 8:06 pm PT

    ...And that's why the DS is whomping the PSP.
    All about the software, baby!

  • thisisjosh

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 8:01 pm PT

    awesome.

  • rynmls

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 7:50 pm PT

    i wish i would play that game...

  • lesleeee

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 7:17 pm PT

    NSMB is insanely fun. And it's reflected in crazy sales. Nice...

  • thumbnails

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 7:16 pm PT

    Dude... thats alot...

  • buzzoinks

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 6:54 pm PT

    NSMB is a new classic.

  • jimbo102671

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 6:23 pm PT

    This shows the staying power of a pair of plumber brothers.
    Of course, the classic gameplay doesn't hurt it any.

    And it's for a system that was origionally little more than an experiment.
    This shows what we like, wether we want to admit it or not.

  • Travo_basic

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 6:08 pm PT

    Wow! I don't think Sunshine did as well as NSMB. People really wanted mario to go back to his 2D roots.

  • OdiumX

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 4:26 pm PT

    I got my Lite+NSMB and not putting it down
    Specially the Multilayer, shame there's no Wifi... :'(

  • the_junk

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 4:26 pm PT

    dreamworks12: dude, you cant forget your roots. you have mario to thank for a lot of things. mario's your daddy. he gave you life, so stuff it. lol.

  • the_junk

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 4:18 pm PT

    and sony can stick THAT where the sun dont shine. haha. mario's a stud.

  • mhder

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 4:18 pm PT

    We don't know exactly when they calculated the numbers for 20 per minute. If you account for the Japan sales, it would be over 20. IF you assume that a store might be open 12 hours a day, it would be somewhat accurate. Maybe if these were figures from the initial 2-3 weeks, then maybe it was 20 per minute. In the end, it doesn't matter because it is a rate that will change. It's the total sold numbers that are important - and Impressive.

  • Dkg

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 3:51 pm PT

    Got my copy. Best 2d Mario game I've played in a loong time. Money well spent.

  • Dinghy_Dog

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 3:34 pm PT

    awesome

  • Morten-K

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 3:09 pm PT

    I got the new mario a few days ago (imported us version since launch in europe is June 30) and it totally rocks. I expected it to be fun and all, but it exeeded all my expectations. I recommend this game to everyone!

  • ButtonBasherBW

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 2:59 pm PT

    Millrboyz: The brain games aren't like a history or maths lesson so to speak but a test for yourself. I guess in the same way of crosswords - particularly with Sudoku in it. You get to see how quick your thinking is, how good your memory is and reaction speeds. And of course, it improves your noggin' to boot.

  • DcDarkEddy

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 2:56 pm PT

    too bad those numbers are wrong selling 20 game every min

  • Karjah

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 2:55 pm PT

    Ok if they can do this much for mario on the DS this has got me SUPER pumped to play super mario on the wii

  • rokkuman09

    Posted Jun 22, 2006 2:51 pm PT

    30 a minute =0 thats insane

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