The review embargo for Super Smash Bros. Wii U isn't until November 19, but based on early pre-order numbers, you won't really need it anyway. You've made up your mind already.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said pre-orders for Super Smash Bros. Wii U have exceeded those of Mario Kart 8 and are at a record high. As a result, the company expects a boost in Wii U sales this holiday season.
“The launch of Mario Kart 8 has essentially doubled our Wii U sales year-on-year,” Fils-Aime said. “Our expectation is that the sell-through for Smash is going to be very strong, certainly on par with what we saw with Mario Kart 8. We think the impact on hardware will be similarly dramatic.”
“Consumers buy the hardware so they can play the software,” he added. “When you have a robust library of games, that’s when consumers jump in.”
It's been sort of a chicken-and-egg-type scenario for the Wii U. Publishers and developers are unwilling to gamble on the Wii U due its relatively low install base. On the flip side, gamers have been hesitant to pick up the Wii U because of a lack of available games. So it's basically been up to Nintendo to create enough buzz with its own first-party titles to drum up sales which hopefully encourage more third-party publishers to jump on board. Super Smash Bros. could be the boost that the Wii U needs.
