Nintendo has updated its sales data, showing that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has actually outsold the lifetime sales of the Wii U, and the Switch has surpassed the Nintendo 64's sales. Smash Ultimate has been available since December, and the Switch launched in early 2017.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was released on Dec. 7, 2018 to critical and commercial success. It broke Halo: Reach's record of being the most successful exclusive console title during launch month. The game continues to be a massive hit, and now with the latest update, fans can play as Joker from Persona 5, and create their own stages for battle. Of course, Ultimate's success is owed to the overall popularity of the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo's console is the first of its kind, focusing as both a home console, as well as a handheld. With a strong current library, and more to come in 2019, the Switch is going to remain in the spotlight for a long time.
Now, Nintendo has released its latest financial earnings report, showing how far Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and the Switch have come in sales. As of March 31, Ultimate has sold 13.81 million copies worldwide. The Wii U's lifetime sales are 13.56 million copies sold, meaning that in just a little under four months, Ultimate has outsold a whole modern console. Meanwhile, the Switch has moved over 34 million units, surpassing the Nintendo 64, which sold 32.93 million.
The Wii U was released in late 2012. This means that the console had been available for a number of years, and yet Ultimate surpassed its lifetime sales in under four months. That speaks volumes on how Nintendo bounced back after the Wii U's commercial failure. Now, 2019 is going to be a strong year for Nintendo, with releases like Super Mario Maker 2, Pokémon Sword and Shield, and more. The Switch's sales aren't likely to stop anytime soon.
It is interesting to compare the sales between Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The Wii U game was popular, but sold under six million units. Ultimate doubled that in a short amount of time. Thanks to those sales, Ultimate has become a pop culture phenomenon. At its present pace, it should outsell Super Mario Odyssey, but it remains to be seen if it can surpass Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the highest selling title on Switch with over 16 million units sold.
It isn't surprising that the Switch outsold the Nintendo 64. The N64's game library was notably smaller in comparison to other consoles. It will be very interesting to see where the Switch's sales are one year from now.
Source: Nintendo