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NPD – Smash Ultimate has the best launch month of all time (units and dollars) for an exclusive game.

Datajoy

Datajoy

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has unseated Halo 3 and officially has the best-selling launch month for any exclusive game in US history. The game has risen to the top and is officially a sales colossus - with plenty of leg room as well. I feel this news definitely transcends the confines of the monthly NPD thread and deserves its own recognition.

1st Month U.S. Best-Selling Exclusives - Unit Sales
1/ Super Smash Bros. Ultimate 3.6 millions, December 2018 (30 days / 5 weeks tracking)
2/ Halo 3 : 3.3 millions, September 2007 (12 days / 2 weeks tracking)
2/ Halo Reach : 3.3 millions, September 2010 (19 days / 3 weeks tracking)
4/ Halo 2 : 3.27 millions, November 2004 (19 days / 3 weeks tracking)
5/ Halo 4 : 3.2 millions, November 2012 (19 days / 3 weeks tracking)
5/ Pokemon Sun+Moon : ~3.2 millions (estimate), November 2016 (9 days / 2 weeks tracking)
7/ Super Smash Bros Brawl : 2.7 millions, March 2008 (27 days / 4 weeks tracking)
8/ Spiderman : 2.6+ millions*, September 2018 (23 days / 4 weeks tracking)
9/ Pokemon Black & White : 2.5 millions, March 2011
10/ GTA San Andreas : 2.06 millions, October 2004
11/ God of War : 1.9 millions**, April 2018 (16 days / 3 weeks tracking)

* includes digital
** includes digital and bundle copies.

1st Month U.S. Best-Selling Exclusives - Dollar Sales
1)NSW - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (30 days / 5 weeks tracking
2) X360 - Halo: Reach (19 days / 3 weeks tracking)
3) X360 - Halo 4 (19 days / 3 weeks tracking)
4) XBO - Halo 2 (19 days / 3 weeks tracking)
5) X360 - Halo 3 (12 days / 2 weeks tracking | $225 million)
6) PS4 - Marvel's Spider-Man (23 days / 4 weeks tracking)
7) Wii - Super Smash Bros. Brawl (27 days / 4 weeks tracking)



NOTE: This thread was previously locked but has been provisionally authorized for a reboot. The original thread was by FernandoRocker Please feel free to lock again if it doesn't meet requirements:
Wonderment said:
Very similar conversations were happening between the two threads at the time. But if you or the OP want to reboot that thread and put a focus on the exclusives angle to it, that should be fine.
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RochHoch

RochHoch

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May 22, 2018
18,997
Sakurai better enjoy his break after the DLC is finished, because he's totally getting dragged back to make Smash 6 for the Switch's successor.
 
pikachief

pikachief

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Oct 25, 2017
6,562
I'm actually more impressed that halo made that much money that consistently for ms.

Also for its install base smash did incredible. Which is deserved cuz its an incredible package
 
WestEgg

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Oct 25, 2017
14,048
This is nuts. I mean, people complained about how Smash dominated the Nintendo marketing and directs this year, but it very definitely paid dividends in the end. And the crazy thing is there is no where to go but up. This is going to be the greenest of evergreens, right up there with MK8D. Long Live Smash, baby.
 
Caiusto

Caiusto

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,927
I miss the good and ol' Halo days, look at this list...

And DAMN is Smash Ultimate huge
 
Chasing

Chasing

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Oct 26, 2017
10,833
Smash's success is incredible but man looking at that list reminds me how Halo was such a freaking juggernaut back in the 360 days. That Halo 3 number was just with only 2 weeks tracking. Imagine if it had the whole month.
 
Lumination

Lumination

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Oct 26, 2017
12,569
Completely deserved. Jaw-dropping cast and incredibly smart gameplay design choices. An enormous cast with so many characters feeling good to play because they all have strengths, as opposed to past entries where many characters might as well have been paperweights and played like such.

Dunno how we punch higher from here, but I can easily see myself playing this for the next 5+ years.
 
Prine

Prine

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Oct 25, 2017
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Halo numbers come off as even more impressive given the timeframe of sales. 2 weeks @ 3.3 mill. God damn.
 
Zed

Zed

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Oct 28, 2017
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I wonder if it will have legs compared to other Nintendo games. If I recall, Smash started out by outselling Mario Kart Wii but it eventually fell behind.
 
Zen Hero

Zen Hero

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Oct 25, 2017
5,650
It sounds so straightforward, but maybe the secret to this game's success is the simple fact that it has so many beloved characters in it.

I don't want to undersell that achievement though. Sakurai and Nintendo putting that vision together and delivering on it was a huge undertaking and seriously impressive.
 
Strat

Strat

"This guy are sick"
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Apr 8, 2018
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Man, Halo. Where did you go, my sweet child?

Ultimate making those #'s without digital is crazy. I bet it had a bigger digital split than any other Nintendo game, too.
 
karmitt

karmitt

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,818
Somebody care to explain the whole "(30 days / 5 weeks tracking)" and similar listed next to each title?

When looking at other entries it reads like it's comparing 30 days of sales to 19 days and 12 days, etc.
 
Neoxon

Neoxon

Spotlighting Black Excellence - Diversity Analyst
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Oct 25, 2017
85,664
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RochHoch said:
Sakurai better enjoy his break after the DLC is finished, because he's totally getting dragged back to make Smash 6 for the Switch's successor.
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Technically it'd be Smash 7 (3DS = 4, Wii U = 5, Ultimate = 6, the former two were mentioned by Sakurai himself). And even then, it wouldn't surprise me if we got a non-Smash project from Sakurai before the next Smash game given that the Switch's life cycle is probably gonna last a good long while. But yeah, hopefully Sakurai enjoys his break from the series after he finishes the Fighters Pass on February 2020. He, his wife, & the team at Bandai Namco definitely earned it.
 
Woylie

Woylie

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May 9, 2018
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One of the best games on the platform and will continue to sell well for years to come. Can't wait for Piranha Plant, Joker and Erdrick
 
Jon Carter

Jon Carter

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Oct 27, 2017
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WestEgg said:
This is nuts. I mean, people complained about how Smash dominated the Nintendo marketing and directs this year, but it very definitely paid dividends in the end. And the crazy thing is there is no where to go but up. This is going to be the greenest of evergreens, right up there with MK8D. Long Live Smash, baby.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

So far, Nintendo is three for three with their games heavily showcased at E3. Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey and now Smash Ultimate have all been wildly successful. Making an event out of them is a formula that clearly works.
 
texhnolyze

texhnolyze

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Oct 25, 2017
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Imagine doing that in the console's early stage of life, and compare it to the other games. This is quite an achievement.
 

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PogiJones

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Why is it 30 days of tracking when it released on the 7th? Would it be how the weeks fell? 30 isn't divisible by 7, so it's not just due to being 5 weeks of tracking, right?
 
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