The Nintendo DS has gone from strength to strength since its European launch in March 2005, with sales dwarfing those of all other consoles as Nintendo attracts all-new audiences to the gaming industry. Now after just one year and ten months on sale, Nintendo DS has become the fastest games console in European history to sell 10 million (sell-thru to customers) and with 1.7 million units selling in December 2006 alone it is also by far the best selling handheld games console across Europe.
The success of Nintendo DS has been driven by Nintendo’s range of innovative Touch! Generations games, targeted at non-traditional audiences. Nintendogs which launched in October 2005, is now being enjoyed by over five million Europeans, whilst titles like Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training: How old is your brain? have been enjoying similar success with over two million copies sold to consumers to date in Europe. What’s more six months after its launch sales are still going strong and it’s maintaining a high position in sales charts across Europe!
Traditional gaming titles are also achieving significant growth with total sales of New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario 64 DS, Mario Kart DS, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Animal Crossing: Wild World all surpassing the million sold mark in Europe. The success doesn’t end there with dozens of third party games such as The Sims 2 Pets (Electronic Arts), Sonic Rush (SEGA) and Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Buena Vista Games) selling at a significant rate in Europe.
Laurent Fischer, European Marketing Director said, “Nintendo DS topped the six million mark in September and has continued to go from strength to strength with thousands of new people being introduced to gaming through the Nintendo DS. Its appeal to both gamers and non-gamers means it has expanded the gaming population significantly. This landmark figure of 10 million Nintendo DS gamers cements the console’s position as undisputed leader of the handheld market, bringing gaming to a whole new audience – something that was unimaginable a few years ago! The innovative Nintendo DS is now helping to shape the whole market with sales of the Nintendo DS console and games being the main drivers behind recent market growth all across Europe.”
