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45.7 million Wii Sports, 22.9 million Wii Plays sold

Nintendo reveals new stats for 27 first-party platinum sellers; Nintendogs hits 22.2 million, New Super Mario Bros. 18.4 million, Wii Fit 18.2 million, Mario Kart Wii 15.4 million.

Nintendo may be facing weakening demand in its home market, but its products continue to enjoy substantial demand in other regions across the globe. Yesterday, that demand came into focus when the publisher reported a 9.9 percent rise in its fiscal year earnings, to ¥1.83 trillion ($18.5 billion). A resounding clamor for software on both of Nintendo's best-selling platforms helped fuel that growth, with 197 million DS and 204 million Wii games sold during the period.

Nice shot!

Nice shot!

Today, Nintendo provided an update on sales figures for its first-party-published games, revealing that it now has 27 games that have broached the million-unit mark during its fiscal year. First among those best-sellers remains Wii Sports, which is sold as a stand-alone game in Japan but comes packed in with Nintendo's console in North America. The sports minigame compilation has now sold 45.7 million units since its November 2006 launch, easily outpacing Wii Remote pack-in Wii Play's 22.9 million units.

DS software sales offer a bit of a closer race in the best-selling game category. Nintendogs remains ahead of the pack, having now sold 22.2 million units through the publisher's fiscal year. However, New Super Mario Bros. and the original Brain Age aren't far off the animal-training simulator's heals, with the former having sold 18.4 million units and the latter at 17.4 million units. All three games have previously been the subject of hardware bundles.

A full list of Nintendo's million-unit sellers during the period can be found below.

Nintendo Wii
Wii Sports - 45.7 million
Wii Play - 22.9 million
Wii Fit - 18.2 million
Mario Kart Wii - 15.4 million
Smash Bros. Brawl - 8.4 million
Super Mario Galaxy - 8 million
Mario Party 8 - 6.7 million
Link's Crossbow Training - 3.8 million
Animal Crossing: City Folk - 3.4 million
Wii Music - 2.6 million
Mario Super Sluggers - 1.3 million

Nintendo DS
Nintendogs - 22.2 million
New Super Mario Bros. - 18.4 million
Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day - 17.4 million
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl - 16.8 million
Mario Kart DS - 14.6 million
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day - 13.7 million
Animal Crossing: Wild World - 10 million
Super Mario 64 DS - 7.5 million
Mario Party DS - 5.8 million
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness - 4.5 million
Pokemon Platinum - 3.7 million
Kirby Super Star Ultra - 2.3 million
Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia - 2 million
Rhythm Heaven - 1.9 million
Personal Trainer: Cooking - 1.8 million
Professor Layton and the Curious Village - 1.6 million*

*Nintendo notes that this figure does not include Japanese sales, given that it published the game only outside of Japan.

305 Comments

  • RobboElRobbo

    Posted Jul 10, 2009 12:08 pm GMT

    And Wii Fit is just pathetic like how the hell do people fall for buying such crap?

  • RobboElRobbo

    Posted Jul 10, 2009 12:08 pm GMT

    Mario Kart Wii is like the best game for Wii

  • gggamezzz

    Posted May 14, 2009 12:12 pm GMT

    ....oh and Brawl is better than MK. Just thought I'd throw that in there too.

  • gggamezzz

    Posted May 14, 2009 12:11 pm GMT

    Have you noticed that only the older Wii and DS games are on this list with the exception of Rhythm Heaven and Pokemon Platinum? It's sad that they release so many games and none of them sell as well as their older products (Not saying that they're bad games). Seriously, Nintendogs is the top selling DS game? Nintendo needs to step up their game. They can't sit on the sales of old products forever.

  • sneakysnake128

    Posted May 13, 2009 2:32 pm GMT

    Just owning a Wii doesn't make you a gamer.

  • sgfreak37

    Posted May 12, 2009 10:30 pm GMT

    @nappan

    I totally agree with you nappan, MK is better then SSB. The thing for me is that MK is fun With or without friends. Wile SSB really isn't that fun by yourself after you have played through it a few times. I don't have much time to play with friends anymore, and I always seem to pull out MK over SSB most of the time. At least when I want to play something different from what I've been playing for hours and hours on end..

  • nappan

    Posted May 12, 2009 5:29 pm GMT

    Oh, I'll jump in here... I don't even own a Wii anymore, but I'll say it: MK owns Brawl. It came first, and it is still probably the BEST combat racing game. Granted, that is also a commentary on combat racing as a genre, but the MK titles have consistantly pleased both old and young... the gameplay is VERY solid. SSB is pretty good, and definitely innovative, but it just wasn't as FUN in my opinion. I still play MarioKart on my GC ... never fails to make me smile, and it is still great to play splitscreen.

  • El_Conrado

    Posted May 12, 2009 1:07 pm GMT

    @Flint247:

    Mario Kart has always being more popular than Super Smash Bros. Remember MK started on the SNES and there have been six games in the series, whereas Brawl is the 3rd.

  • Flint247

    Posted May 12, 2009 1:01 pm GMT

    How is MK wii higher than Brawl?

  • El_Conrado

    Posted May 12, 2009 12:59 pm GMT

    Rottenwood:
    "And some consumers are probably still recovering from a bad case of 'Sunshine Burn' from Mario's subpar GameCube adventure."

    You know, people keep saying that, but I don't see it anymore.

    I must admit that when the game (Sunshine) first came out, I was extremelly dissapointed, so I finished it and put it away, not even bothering to find the 120 shines.

    But then, a couple of years later, I pulled it back out and gave it another shot, and you know what? It's not half bad. It's actually pretty good.

    I suppose that since the initial shock of "this is not Mario/FLUDD is a gimmick" washed away, I could finally see this game for itself, and it is a very well made game, with a lot of fun challenges.

    I still rank it as the worst of the propper Mario platformers, but being the worst, it is still better than 95% of the platformers out there, and that's a testament to the series as a whole.

    brendanhunt1:
    "atleast wii wont get anywhere near ps2 sales"

    Dude, the Wii reached 50 million units a full year earlier than the ps2 did, and it hasn't had a single price drop yet. It's already the second fastest selling gaming system ever made (the fastest is the DS).

    Do you want to reconsider that statement?

  • Rottenwood

    Posted May 12, 2009 12:32 pm GMT

    @nappan

    And some consumers are probably still recovering from a bad case of 'Sunshine Burn' from Mario's subpar GameCube adventure.

  • brendanhunt1

    Posted May 12, 2009 11:49 am GMT

    atleast wii wont get anywhere near ps2 sales

  • nappan

    Posted May 12, 2009 11:48 am GMT

    @Rottenwood: I'd count on sales of some of those games steadily rising. Personally, I didn't even BUY a GameCube until the next gen was out... and then I bought the games I wanted that had been published over the life of the console. I may well do the same with the Wii, and who knows how many others will as well?

  • Rottenwood

    Posted May 12, 2009 9:48 am GMT

    Say what you will about Wii Sports: it still gets dug out for the occasional romp, while the blockbusters of last year collect dust.

    A little disappointed at Galaxy's sales, though. Eight million is a lot, but for a Game of the Year in a legendary franchise, I thought it'd be higher. It'll probably get packed in with the Wii down the road and get those numbers inflated. Glad the New Super Mario Bros. was a monster for the DS... keep 2D alive!

  • DiscGuru101

    Posted May 12, 2009 5:52 am GMT

    I still play Wii Sports, and, more than any other game for the Wii. It goes down in history along side of all the other greatest games ever. Simple. Pure. Genius. Anyone can be good at it.

    Almost everyone I pushed Wii Play onto in California were revolted though. For me it's fun in very small doses. Although constant use of the light pointer for anything other than shooting or clicking is annoying.

  • Mr_Fujiv1

    Posted May 12, 2009 3:54 am GMT

    i find that nintendo have in a sense gone down hill as in coming up with the idea of all this motion control stuff i just wished they did something with the 64 but they have done better with their sales which isnt a bad thing

  • -Squirrel-

    Posted May 11, 2009 10:20 pm GMT

    Go Big N, nice job. Now just get me Super Mario Galaxy 2, LoZ Spirit Tracks, and Pikmin 3. E3 is gunna be pretty huge for Nintendo this year, so don't count them out of good software yet.

    Nintendo has more pressure put on them than any other developer, so everyone needs to cut them a lil' slack, at least until E3. Squenix, Bethesda, or Bungie can go a long time without putting out a smash hit and people just wait and anticipate, but if Nintendo doesn't pop out 5+ hits a year than people demonize them. The games are coming and Nintendo has promised a big E3; Iwata can barely keep his mouth shut.

  • Dark_sageX

    Posted May 11, 2009 5:13 pm GMT

    those numbers mean absolutely nothing to me anymore.

  • LindBergh2007

    Posted May 11, 2009 4:52 pm GMT

    Guess what? New rumors now suggest that SEGA may be getting in the casual gaming business as well with it's RingEdge.

    http://fgnonline.webs.com/

    "With the Nintendo Wii hitting retail and gaining worldwide superstardom of the likes never witnessed SEGA SAMMY once again immediately got to work on another system with orders from the boss himself Satomi-san. This system shall be a HD casual console and is designed to compete with the successor to the Wii. The design of the system FGN can officaly confirm was finalised in late 2008, it's arcade variant goes by the name "RINGEDGE" the specifications of the system are as follows."

    If there's a Wii HD. RingEdge may be competing against it.

  • gatsbythepig

    Posted May 11, 2009 4:50 pm GMT

    N is a monster.

  • mddg_mmcc

    Posted May 11, 2009 4:23 pm GMT

    The argument about Wii Sports being a pack-in, therefore, shouldn't be counted is semi-valid, as it is included in more territories. However, that logic quickly falls apart. Why? Because most people bought the Wii to play Wii Sports. Wii Sports is the game that sold the Wii, NOT the other way around.

    As for Wii Play, yes, it's technically a $10 game with the purchase of a remote. I'm leaving that alone.

    But what's your answer to Wii Fit? Was that just so people could get the Balance Board? I doubt it.

    Mario Kart? No, that only sold because it came with the wheel, right? Riiight...

    Look, the Wii is for another group of people. It hasn't hurt your precious PS3 or 360. In fact, it's making gaming even more popular. So why the hate?

    For the record, I own a Wii and 360, and still play both.

    Bottom line: It's the games that sell the systems. Systems aren't bought to be left unplayed (except the PS3, which some use as nothing more than a Blu-ray player.)

  • shabab12

    Posted May 11, 2009 4:03 pm GMT

    Nintendo is proof that people buy crap

  • andrew_ribbons

    Posted May 11, 2009 3:38 pm GMT

    It's not so much a games console now as a gimmick console. Wii Sports, Wii Play, Wii Fit, Wii Music. Reason i say gimmick here, to justify myself correctly, is that none of those titles have any legs, now they've been done, barely anything could be done to further them in their fields. They couldn't really be applied to another title, in any form of evolution, the Wiimote has already pretty much been exploited as much as possible.

    What i'm very sad to see, is lack of 3rd party involvement in real gaming titles. Not little mini-games and daily diversions, i mean a proper decent full length game you can get stuck into for a couple of hours a weekend. That's the sort of thing i'm interested in, not wiggling around on a set of scales, or flapping my arms around pretending i'm playing Tennis. Those things are great for 5 minutes, not for a console generation.

    This is not me being biased either, i'm not wailing on Ninty because i don't support them. I have a Red DS Lite and i love that. But the Wii could be so much more if it got some really awesome epic titles. Like a Mass Effect/Oblivion/FableII/Fallout3/Halo/Golden Sun/Crysis(not graphically) style deal, but not the same exactly of course for those, Wii-styled.

    I just cannot get a Wii until i see some games I will want to play

  • nappan

    Posted May 11, 2009 2:43 pm GMT

    @hatieshorror: No... I'm saying that people have been talking about two different sets of figures, both valid (or as valid as any companie's figures can be) but confused by some of us (myself included) here. A lot of the debate over "did TW sell more than 1 mil", and issues on the number of sales of Wii Sports, aren't debates. Yeah, TW sold 4.5 or so on the Wii, but it's not on this list because it refers only to 1 mil sellers in the 2009 fiscal year. The same goes for others.


    Edit: btw, once the author of this article was made aware of the potential confusion, he clarified it; "A full list of Nintendo's million-unit sellers during the period can be found below." A simple thing, but I'd call that good customer service.

  • hatieshorrer

    Posted May 11, 2009 2:30 pm GMT

    Nappan so according to your info gamespot printed info that is over a year old.

  • DoMiNiC147

    Posted May 11, 2009 1:23 pm GMT

    does anyone else notice that all the games for the wii are nintendo made? Who really count wii sports because it comes with the system?

  • Calverz posted May 11, 2009 1:19 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Calverz

    Posted May 11, 2009 1:19 pm GMT (hide)

    Meh,..I dont even regard it as a games console anymore anymore. The Wii HD will be even less so.

  • JackHoleFace00

    Posted May 11, 2009 12:55 pm GMT

    To Blue_Namek's comment:
    Amen to that.

  • El_Conrado

    Posted May 11, 2009 12:15 pm GMT

    nappan:
    "In your links, Nintendo is clearly counting only about 21 mil as its sales of Wii sports, and ignored the bundled ones. That is not the case with this list."

    Keep in mind that the second link is of Nintendo's March 2008 Fiscal year. The Wii has sold more than 25 million units in one year.

    The fact is, even if it's not bundled in Japan, Wii Sports' unbundled sales can only account for 8 million units tops, and probably account for a lot less. But the total is a nice, big number to brag about, and they won't miss their chance.

    As for why they omit Zelda this year in their million sellers list is anybody's guess. I'm thinking snafu.

    fps_d0minat0r:
    "a crappy version of MGS4 would sell more on wii then it would on PS3 simply for the fact that more ppl have the wii."

    No, it probably wouldn't.

    Trying not to speculate that the moment MGS4 was announced for PS3 every Metal Gear fan went out and bought one, and ignoring that the game was actually BUNDLED TWICE with the console, here's a couple of things that point to "NO":

    The original Metal Gear Solid sold about 5.6 million units, the same number as MGS2, despite being released on a platform with twice the userbase at the time of each respective release.

    MGS3 sold LESS than 2 (4 million units), despite the platform having grown THREE TIMES in users in the interim.

    The kicker? MGS4 sold the SAME as MGS3 despite being released on a platform with HALF the users as when MGS2 was released.

    The audience for Metal Gear Solid is simply around 5 to 6 million people. It doesn't matter how big the platform becomes, that's about as much as any game in the series will ever sell, period.

    And the whole "crappy metal gear" thing...

    Do you want to know how Twin Snakes did? It was released when there were twice as many GameCubes as PS2s when MGS2 was released. You would guess that being a remake, it wouldn't sell that well, but at least, being Metal Gear Solid and all, should sell at least decently, right?

    How 'bout less than 100k? That's right, the "crappy" MGS game didn't sell more, it didn't sell at all.

    Facts, huh? Funny thing, them facts...

    As for FIFA 09; I don't play soccer games, so I wouldn't know for sure, but last time I checked, the Wii version features MORE OPTIONS that the other ones, not less.

    Aside from the graphical overhaul, the standard game is exactly the same, including those "advanced" physics, AI and gameplay. The All Play feature, which is an EXTRA, is for NEWCOMMERS, you know, so it sells to more than just those who buy the game already? EA be damned if they want to expand their audience.

    But you must be right, because you said so. Circular logic at it's finest. Your elitism is seeping through buddy. How can anyone take your opinion seriously?

  • zaphod_b

    Posted May 11, 2009 11:14 am GMT

    I've got to hand it to Nintendo for finding a market to remain viable in, but I wish I had never spent my money on that little white paperweight.

  • zgreenwell

    Posted May 11, 2009 10:41 am GMT

    The secret to Nintendo's success this gen; Bundled Hardware. Wii Sports + included Wii FTW!

  • Mr_Versipellis

    Posted May 11, 2009 10:24 am GMT

    Wow, there are a tonne of these at the moment... One for every two days or so. Anyway, Wii Sports doesn't count as it's bundled in most places IMO.

  • xXZak-ataKXx

    Posted May 11, 2009 10:23 am GMT

    Not ever liked Nintendo,not saying that they are not good,just not my style, i like consoles like the PS3 and the 360.

  • cajunstrike

    Posted May 11, 2009 10:14 am GMT

    Agreed. Nintendo's numbers for Wii Sports 'sales' are, at the very least, questionable.

  • Evilhen88

    Posted May 11, 2009 8:28 am GMT

    Wow I bet they've even sold 45.7 million power buttons.

  • efunk25

    Posted May 11, 2009 7:47 am GMT

    This just in! Wii has sold 45.7 million power cords for the Wii console. Way to go!!!

  • nappan

    Posted May 11, 2009 7:43 am GMT

    @fps d0minat0r: here's a quote from earlier in the forum, that I researched (El Conrado has shown me the wisdom of that, even here). "ryan-man Posted May 11, 2009 4:10 am ET The wii System comes bundled with WII SPORTS in 27 countries of Europe & whole of North America.

    Furthermore they bundle wii play with the HARDWARE remote."

    Now, according to Nintendo's own figures, they actually claim only 21.something million sales of Wii Sports Lifetime To Date (up until now). This list, apparantly does NOT reflect Nintendo's internal reckoning of their own sales. I'm not suddenly a fan of the Wii, but I don't like being misled by sloppy research from Magrino.

    So 24 million Wii Sports were bundled, and 21 sold seperately. Those are Nintendo's figures, so who knows, but it does at least break down which were bundle sales and which were not. Given how easily available this info is (thanks again, El Conrado) I'm stunned that Tom Magrino would be this sloppy. I've seen this list elsewhere, and my guess is that he just copied and pasted. Come on Gamespot... you've already lost a lot of credibility whe you lost Kasavin, and more wth Gerstmann. Your review scores are getting loose, but if you can't even get a news article right, it's over.

  • efunk25

    Posted May 11, 2009 7:43 am GMT

    True fps d0minat0r. I mean, a million people bought the pet rock for pete sake.

  • fps_d0minat0r

    Posted May 11, 2009 7:31 am GMT

    @ El_Conrado

    wii only sells more because its aimed at noobs under the name "family entertainment"

    im sure your clever enough to know that theres more noobs in the world then hardcore gamers.......its a fact of life.

    a crappy version of MGS4 would sell more on wii then it would on PS3 simply for the fact that more ppl have the wii.

    however wii games are taken as a joke for some gamers but some find it fun playing with lame graphics and basic levels of gameplay.

    they specifically made fifa 09 wii mii for these ppl who like lame graphics......you cant say the game is better due to sales. They just bought it because they dont have the IQ to play the better version requiring understanding of physics, complex gameplay and challenging AI.

    why else would someone buy a downgraded version of a game????
    maybe you can find me a reason.....otherwise the way i see it, im correct.

  • fps_d0minat0r

    Posted May 11, 2009 7:18 am GMT

    doesnt wii sports come with the wii anyway???

    or is that 45.7m individual sales, i doubt it.

    who buys wii sports anyways??
    people who dont go out to do it in real life????

    is wii meant to be an active console or a console to 'not go out and play everything at home and eventually smash your tv by flinging a remote at it'

    i know u wii fanboys are full of hatred but face it, its facts.

  • linkdarkside posted May 11, 2009 7:07 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    linkdarkside

    Posted May 11, 2009 7:07 am GMT (hide)

    go nintendo!!! go pokemon!!!!!

  • nappan

    Posted May 11, 2009 6:59 am GMT

    @flyingteddy: I can't even imagine. I mean, Tales of Graces, the whole mario catalogue, MadWorld, NMH? That said, they're making more money now than they would if they just published games... and business is always in the business of making money. I suspect that they'll use this captial to compete more directly in the next gen, where expensive technologies will be a must anyhow. I find that a little deplorable, but if I were the one making the money, I would laugh so hard I'd probably stroke out.

  • flyingteddy

    Posted May 11, 2009 6:47 am GMT

    MrHatnClogs, I'd like to see Nintendo give up hardware and bring their franchises to the other consoles, imagine the sales then.

  • nappan

    Posted May 11, 2009 6:18 am GMT

    @MRHatnClogs: I'd love to see a really good new Starfox game. It seems to me that the Wii motion control, would be ideal for that, and graphics don't need to be HD for Starfox to be good.

  • nappan

    Posted May 11, 2009 5:49 am GMT

    @El Conrado: Based on your links, I have to doubt the verity of either Nintendo or Gamespot. Being who I am, I doubt both and therefore can't draw a conclusion anymore about sales. Either Gamespot has made a huge ****up (entirely possible) and ignored the LTD numbers, or Gamespot is working from a different, but reliable list and Nintendo is not being totally genuine with their public financial dealings. It strikes me as stupid and irresponsible for GS to slap this article up here, without any explanation as to sourcing... especially when the numbers are in conflict.

    In your links, Nintendo is clearly counting only about 21 mil as its sales of Wii sports, and ignored the bundled ones. That is not the case with this list. That alone shows a huge difference in the way these lists have been compiled, and as I said earlier, I am just working from the article. I din't have a vested interest that would drive me to research... although now curiosity and annoyance at either GS or Nintnedo or both will. Thanks for the links... I'll hold my conclusions until there is more clear evidence one way or the other, from more than one source. That said, clearly this GS article can't be trusted either. How dissapointing... makes me glad I chose not to renew membership here a while ago. This place has just gone down the tubes since Kasavin, and Gerstmann.

  • iamamanami

    Posted May 11, 2009 2:46 am GMT

    Wii Play is bundled with Wii Remote.

    Actually, the guys who buy Wii Play just because they want to buy a remote, and 1 remote + 1 game sounds great to them. If they have second chance, they will just buy a single remote instead and save some bucks.

  • ryan-man

    Posted May 11, 2009 1:10 am GMT

    The wii System comes bundled with WII SPORTS in 27 countries of Europe & whole of North America.

    Furthermore they bundle wii play with the HARDWARE remote.

    No wonder they produce these great Figures..

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