Black magic of the Koopa!
Japanese firm Nintendo seems to be on a roll in the run up to Christmas and says it is going to build on its momentum in 2010 with a bevy of new games releases for the Wii, Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi.
Since slashing the prices of its hardware, Nintendo sales have stayed strong through the downturn, even if revenue has taken a bit of a hit, falling some 13.4 per cent compared with the same period last year.
But that's not to say the company isn't pleased with having shifted 1.7million Nintendo DS handhelds or 1.25million Nintendo Wii home consoles this quarter, bringing the number of Wiis in the US to some 23 million.
The firm's games, too, seem to be selling like hot cakes, with the recently released New Super Mario Bros. Wii chalking up a whopping 1.4 million in its first two weeks, putting it at a solid two in the console game charts, according to market research firm NPD Group.
Of course the Mario Bros. franchise has been a big seller since its original release in 1983, having sold over 222 million copies in its various versions to date.
Nintendo has other entries in the top 10, as well. Wii Sports Resort, Wii Fit Plus and Mario Kart Wii all already feature in NPD's list and it's widely expected that the firm's games will do even better this month as Christmas-crazed customers look for some family-friendly fun to stick under the tree.
