Despite the fact that it’s been doing better as of late, Nintendo’s Wii U console still runs into its fair share of struggles, particularly in the face of the far more successful Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles. However, that doesn’t mean the big “N” is ready to throw in the towel yet.
Mario Kart 8 proved to be a huge hit for the company earlier this year, and even managed to significantly boost Wii U sales. Now, another big title could help get it through the holiday season with even more sales – the multiplayer fighting game Super Smash Bros.
The series has been popular since its initial inception on the Nintendo 64, bringing together iconic Nintendo characters like Mario, Samus Aran from Metroid and Link from The Legend of Zelda, who duke it out to prove superiority on an enclosed stage. The game has been successful on every platform it’s released on since, particularly the Nintendo 3DS.
Since its release on that platform last month (this past week in the U.S.), the 3DS version of Smash Bros. has performed admirably, selling 2.8 million copies worldwide – one of Nintendo’s bigger handheld sellers to date.
That, combined with the announcement of a release date of November 21st in the U.S., could provide Nintendo with the killer app needed to push sales of the Wii U. The promise of high-definition visuals, along with online play and a variety of control options (including the re-introduction of the “classic” GameCube controller, which can be bought separately or with the Smash Bros. game in a bundle), could help Nintendo inch out of the doldrums and back into the limelight.
Of course, the company’s still got a ways to go when it comes to making the Wii U reputable, considering that big third-party titles like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Assassin’s Creed Unity aren’t coming to the system. Still, the big “N” has to start somewhere, and Smash Bros. could be the key to defining a great year for the company leading into 2015, alongside the launch of the Amiibo figurines on November 28th and Captain Toad’s Treasure Tracker on December 5th.
Source: Nintendo
