Iwata: 3DS has Regained its Vigor, to Reach 3 Million in Japan Soon
by William D'Angelo, posted on 07 December 2011 / 1,247 Views
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, in an interview at Nikkei and translated by Andriasang, said that the 3DS has regained its vigor following the price cut in August and the release of major titles such as Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.
Iwata said that the 3DS will cross three million units sold in Japan soon, which is two weeks ahead of the DS. He also expects it to reach four million before its one year anniversary. According to VGChartz the 3DS has sold 120,000 units in Japan for the week ending November 27 and is at a total of 2.67 million in the country. Sales are expected to rise even higher the following week with the release of Mario Kart 7 and should cross three million in the week ending December 11. Iwata indicated that Mario Kart 7 sold around 420,000 units in its first week, which is about double the DS version.
Speaking about international markets, Iwata feels the holiday rush started a couple weeks later than normal, but that the Mario titles are off to a better start than in Japan. While Nintendo is expected to post an overall loss for the current fiscal year, Iwata said that the company is expected to return to profits in the next fiscal term. According to VGChartz the 3DS sold just under one million units worldwide during Black Friday week and has sold nearly nine million units.
