Nintendo may have had a bad year with the Wii U in 2013 but the company still has something to be pleased about - Nintendo 3DS has broken sales record in 2013.
The company said it sold more than 16 million packaged and digital games for its 3DS line up last year which is up by 45 percent from its games sales in 2012. Its 3DS line of portable gaming devices, which includes the 3DS, 3DS XL and 2DS, also crossed a lifetime hardware sales of more than 11.5 million units in the U.S. alone.
Because of the record-setting sales and the positive response from its consumers, Nintendo is optimistic for a stronger 2014. It already has several 3DS games planned for release early 2014 including Yoshi's New Island produced by Takashi Tezuka, the creative director of the original Yoshi's Island for Super NES, and Disney Magic World, which features Disney characters in a variety of Disney-themed worlds. The games will be launched in stores and in the Nintendo eShop March 14 and April 11, respectively. Other games set for release this year also include Bravery Default (Feb. 7) and Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy (Feb.28).
"Nintendo 3DS is a powerhouse with games and experiences that appeal to all kinds of players," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "We're not slowing down in 2014. With more games featuring fan-favorite franchises on the way, the best days of Nintendo 3DS are still to come."
The announcement came a couple of days after Nintendo was ordered by a US court to pay a royalty fee to a third-party company for each of the Nintendo 3DS or 3DS XL sold in the handheld console's history as a result of a patent dispute with Tomita Technologies over the 3D camera technology used in the devices. Nintendo would have to pay 1.82 percent of the wholesale price of every 3DS sold or around $3 per unit. This will cost the company around $105 million for the 35 million units it has sold to date.
