Mario Kart And Pokémon Retain Dominance On Best-Selling Wii U, 3DS Lists

With the release of its third-quarter financial report today, Nintendo has also updated its list of best-selling Wii U and 3DS software. While the lists didn't shift greatly, there are some up-and-comers that Nintendo may eye for franchise potential.

We’ve included all the relevant information, including change in sales and placement on the top-selling list. We’ve also recalculated attach rate based on new software and hardware sales numbers. When last we reported, figures were based on sales as of September 30, 2015. Total Wii U sales now sit at 12.6 million, up 1.87 million for the quarter.

1. Mario Kart 8 (Last ranking: 1)
   • 7.24 million (+1.37 million)
   • 57.5 percent attach (+2.8 percent)
2. New Super Mario Bros. U (Last ranking: 3)
   • 5.08 million (+200,000)
   • 40.3 percent attach (-9.7 percent)
3. Nintendo Land (Last ranking: 2)
   • 5.02 million (+20,000)
   • 39.8 percent attach (-6.7 percent)
4. Super Mario 3D World (Last ranking: 4)
   • 4.63 million (+160,000)
   • 36.7 percent attach (-6.2 percent)
5. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Last ranking: 5)
   • 4.61 million (+200,000)
   • 36.6 percent attach (-1 percent)
6. Splatoon (Last ranking: 6)
   • 4.06 million (+1.64 million)
   • 32.2 percent (+9.6 percent)
7. Super Mario Maker (Last ranking: 8)
   • 3.34 million (+1.46 million)
   • 26.5 percent (+9 percent) 
8. New Super Luigi U (Last ranking: 7)
   • 2.42 million (+150,000)
   • 19.2 percent (-2 percent)
9. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Last ranking: 7)
   • 1.69 million (+70,000)
   • 13.4 percent attach (-1.7 percent)
10. Mario Party 10 (New Entry)
    • 1.65 million
    • 13.1 percent

The updated sales figures put a fine point on how important the holiday quarter is to publishers and platform holders. Mario Kart 8’s gains continue to mount, as it remains a blend of recognizable and accessible.

Splatoon and Super Mario Maker continue their climb. With both still relatively recent releases, we can expect that sales will continue to mount for both. It wouldn’t surprise us to see Super Mario Maker overtake the colorful shooter next quarter.

The drop in attach rates for six titles are normal. The Wii U has had excessively high attach rates due to a lack of competition from third-party titles. We expect acquisitions to spread out as more people purchase consoles. Platform-wide attach rate remains high at more than six games per console sold.

Finally, Wii Party U dropped off the list this quarter. It was replaced by another family-friendly title. Mario Party 10 steps up to fill the gap.

3DS hardware and software sales have also been updated. Handheld sales sit at 57.94 million across all 3DS and 2DS models, up 3.6 million since the September 30 update.

1. Pokémon X & Y (Last ranking: 1)
   • 14.46 million (+310,000)
   • 25 percent attach (-1 percent)
2. Mario Kart 7 (Last ranking: 2)
   • 13.03 million (+840,000)
   • 22.5 percent attach (+.1 percent)
3. Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (Last ranking: 3)
   • 11.46 million (+770,000)
   • 19.8 percent attach (+.1 percent)
4. Super Mario 3D Land (Last ranking: 4)
   • 10.63 million (+420,000)
   • 18.3 percent (-.5 percent)
5. New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Last Ranking: 5)
   • 10.04 million (+570,000)
   • 17.3 percent (-.1 percent)
6. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Last Ranking: 6)
   • 9.86 million (+420,000)
   • 17.0 percent (-.4 percent)
7. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS (Last Ranking: 7)
   • 7.92 million (+550,000)
   • 13.7 percent (+.1 percent)
8. Tomodachi Life (Last Ranking: 9)
   • 4.89 million (+410,000)
   • 8.4 percent (+.2 percent)
9. Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Last Ranking: 8)
   • 4.75 million (+140,000)
   • 8.2 percent (-.3 percent)
10. Nintendogs + Cats (New Entry)
    • 3.96 million
    • 6.8 percent

There hasn’t been much shifting in this list, except for the bottom. Tomodachi Life and Luigi’s Mansion switched places. Surprisingly, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D dropped off the list as Nintendogs + Cats made a surprising holiday surge.

Pokémon X and Y continue to taper off in terms of attach rate, but with a substantial lead, it would take a strong push from Mario Kart or a new game to unseat it from the top. It’s unlikely that anything but a new Pokémon game would have the juice to pull that off.

Most of the list includes modest shifts in attach rates, cementing these games as 3DS’ most popular. Expect to see the same games holding fast for the foreseeable future and, depending on Nintendo’s plans, the remainder of the 3DS life cycle.

Looking ahead, if Nintendo is able to deliver The Legend of Zelda on Wii U as planned this year, there’s a good chance of it rocketing onto this list. Star Fox Zero may make a push, but until we know more about what’s changed since E3 last year, it’s unclear if it will have enough content to push people to purchase.

On the 3DS side, Fire Emblem finally has a shot at the top 10 list. With two different versions of Fates, combined sales could amount to enough to crack the list. We’ll update again next quarter.