It’s no secret the Wii U hasn’t been doing so well. The console has lagged behind the Xbox One and PS4 despite having a year’s worth of a head start. It seems the Wii U’s fortunes might be changing, howeve, according to a statement made by Nintendo today about its December sales numbers.
According to the statement, sales of the Wii U system increased 29% with software sales growing by a staggering 75% over December last year. It also states that the Nintendo 3DS had its best month ever for first-party software sales, thanks to the release of Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Pokémon Omega Red and Alpha Sapphire.
Nintendo gives credit for the Wii U’s success to its stronger software library, with big titles like Smash Bros. for Wii U and the tenacious Mario Kart 8 leading the holiday charge. This is a big change from 2013, when the Wii U’s big first party game was Super Mario 3D World, which didn’t help push system sales the way Nintendo would have liked.
Nintendo also made sure to give credit to amiibos, saying that sales of the figures are “nearly twice the sales of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U“. That means there were around 2 million amiibos sold in 2014. It’s no wonder Nintendo is pushing so hard to get more amiibo support in 2015.
While the Wii U was still third in December 2014 console sales, it’s still a marked improvement for the system. With titles like Splatoon and the new installments of Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda coming out in 2015, it’s entirely possible that the Wii U may make a comeback in the console race.
[Header image source: wiiudaily.com]
