In its first weekend after release, the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate launch quickly reached the top of the UK charts, marking the biggest release of any Switch game in the UK so far. The new title sold more physical copies than the combined sales of Pokémon: Let’s Go Pikachu and its companion Let’s Go: Eevee, and likewise overtook sales of Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
These figures also don’t account for digital sales through the Nintendo eShop, which have likely pushed these sales to even higher numbers. This successful launch is a massive achievement for Nintendo, with this launch again proving the value in reviving classic titles.
In comparison to its predecessors, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is also the best performing title in the series, selling 300 percent more physical copies than the Wii U entry, and 60 percent more than the previous Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii. This trend isn’t surprising, considering that almost 20 million Switch consoles had been sold worldwide by the end of July this year.
The successful launch of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate might also create further benefits for Nintendo, as the previous major Switch release this year—Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee—also led to a 115 percent increase in Switch console sales.
Other major releases from last week failed to achieve similar results, in particular with Just Cause 4 selling 60% less physical copies than its predecessor Just Cause 3. Coming in second in the charts, Red Dead Redemption 2 remains consistent in sales, while FIFA 19 was demoted to third place. The top 10 selling games in the UK chart can be seen below.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- FIFA 19
- Battlefield 5
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Just Cause 4
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
- Spyro: Reignited Trilogy
- Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!
- Fortnite: Deep Freeze Bundle
(Via Chart-Track)