For more than 20 years, Mario has been the undisputed icon of Nintendo – and dare we say it, the icon of the entire gaming industry. So it should come as no surprise that the highest-selling DS game to date is a Mario game.
The news has just broke that New Super Mario Bros has topped the six million unit sales mark. It is the first and only DS game to do so. According to Japanese magazine Famitsu, total sales were 6,015,255 as of December 26.
It’s taken around four and a half years to reach that milestone, during which time it has consistently been one of the best sellers on the platform.
Nintendo games are unique creatures in the industry. On the other consoles, a game can be a top seller but it will almost always fade away quickly to make room for the next big thing. But with Nintendo, most of its games continue to sell well years after they’re released.
Super Mario 64 DS, for example, which was one of the very first DS games, is still being printed and sold all over the world. Other games, like Mario Kart and Pokemon, also stand at the top of the DS charts irregardless of when they actually first came out.
Then, take Halo 3. It was perhaps the most celebrated game launch of all time, with 24/7 media coverage and millions of copies sold within minutes of the clock striking midnight. But you’d be hard pressed to find anyone walking into a Best Buy today asking for a copy of the game.
We’re not quite sure how this phenomenon happens, but it does. And more power to Nintendo for it. [[Nintendo]]
