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If you were going to diagram an equation for a record-breaking software launch, it would probably look something like this:
Popular Franchise (more than 14 million Super Smash Bros. games sold in the U.S. alone)
+
Demand (it has been six years since the last Super Smash Bros. console game, plus the new game benefits from heightened awareness for the franchise coming on the heels of the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS game)
+
Critical Acclaim (current Metacritic score of 93, making it the highest-rated original game of this generation, tied with last year’s Super Mario 3D World game)
+
Strong Reaction from Fans (current user score of 9.2 on Metacritic, becoming the eighth Wii U game to have a Metacritic score of 85 or higher AND a user score of 8.5 or higher)
=
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U is now the fastest-selling Wii U title ever in the U.S. market (dethroning Mario Kart 8), with more than 490,000 physical and digital units combined sold during the three-day period of Nov. 21 through Nov. 23.
“The Nintendo holiday is off to a great start, but there’s a lot of work left to do and a few more surprises in store for our fans,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing.
“With great deals coming on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and great content like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker launching next week, Nintendo will offer shoppers the best combination of fun and value this holiday season.”
*All numbers are from Nintendo’s internal sales figures and are specific to the United States only.
