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Nintendo’s Switch console boasted impressive records on its first weekend out of the gate, as the company said it beat every launch sales record for any Nintendo system in the Americas in history.
New York Times reporter Nick Wingfield shared these sales numbers of Twitter today after interviewing Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. They represent the first two days of sales — March 3 and March 4 — across Nintendo markets in North, South and Central America, including the United States and Canada.
2. Fri-Sat sales for Nintendo Switch exceeded first 2-day sales in Americas for any system in Nintendo history. Next biggest was Wii.
— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017
Particularly impressive is that Wingfield notes Switch sales surpassed the crossover hit Wii console, which seemed to pop up in just as many homes of parents and grandparents as it did long-time Nintendo fans. That console sold 600,000 units in six days in the same region, according to sources from the time, but without hard sales figures we can’t make a direct comparison.
6. Long term comparisons to Wii, which sold more than 100 m LTD, are tough. But good start for Switch, with big games coming.
— Nick Wingfield (@nickwingfield) March 6, 2017
We also learned that The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was the best-selling stand-alone launch game in Nintendo’s history, outselling pivotal Super Mario 64. Those numbers aren’t compared to a pack-in game like Wii Sports, which was sold with every new Wii at launch. Certainly the overwhelmingly positive review scores — including Polygon’s — didn’t hurt.
