Despite concerns regarding Nintendo Switch‘s relatively sparse launch line-up and its lack of power in comparison to its contemporaries having been raised numerous times prior to launch, it appears as if neither potential roadblock has sullied its chances at success, as the Big N’s latest hardware has gotten off to an excellent start in the US.
As part of an interview with New York Times reporter Nick Wingfield, Nintendo of America head Reggie Fils-Aime revealed that the first 2-day sales of the Switch in the Americas eclipsed any other system Nintendo has ever released, meaning that it even outpaced the Wii, one of the most successful systems ever made.
https://twitter.com/nickwingfield/status/838872510871433216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
What’s more, Fils-Aime confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Switch’s flagship launch title which is also available on Wii U, is the best-selling standalone launch title in the company’s history, even beating Super Mario 64. Do note the mention of standalone, however, which means games that came bundled with their respective hardware, i.e. Wii Sports, aren’t included in the statistic.
https://twitter.com/nickwingfield/status/838873514589315072
Good news so far, then, but we’ll have to wait and see if the Switch’s apparent appeal can eventually outpace the Wii. Worldwide sales of the latter are over 100 million units, so it’s certainly got a mountain to climb. There’s still plenty of time for that potential outcome to reach fruition, but ultimately, we’re just happy to see consumers excited, once more, for Nintendo hardware. The Wii U may come to be remembered as one of the biggest lows for Nintendo, but the future is certainly looking bright.
If you’ve yet to grab yourself a Nintendo Switch or, for that matter, a copy of Breath of the Wild, you can find our own reviews of both here and here.