Fils-Aime: NSMB Wii will outsell MW2

By Tom Bramwell Published 9 November, 2009

Over the holiday season on one format.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime reckons that New Super Mario Bros. Wii will outsell either the PS3 or Xbox 360 version of Modern Warfare 2.

Asked by GTTV (thanks Kotaku) whether Mario's latest could best Infinity Ward's FPS, Fils-Aime at first said, "Well, Modern Warfare 2's on two platforms, right?" When host Geoff Keighley asked whether it would beat one of the two console SKUs, he replied, "So, absolutely. I say unequivocally."

"On one particular platform? I do believe so."

"Now, you've got to give me the entire holiday selling season, right, so let's take it all the way through the January NPD data," he clarified. "Yes. I'll take that... I'll put that stake in the ground."

Not that he's taking the challenge lightly, or that he thinks Modern Warfare 2 will be anything less than excellent. "Sure it's going to be close," he said. "Modern Warfare's a great title. As a gamer, I look forward to it."

Perhaps if he goes down the shops today he can play it earlier than expected.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is due out on 20th November.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (45) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Vice.Destroyer #1 2 years ago

    Let's all head down to Ladbrokes and see what odds we get on that.

  • Malek86 #2 2 years ago

    LTD? Probably. Until January NPD? I don't think so. NSMB will probably be a slow burner, like many Nintendo games this generation.

    Maybe they want to do a bundle or something. It would be a good way of increasing its sales. Otherwise, it seems a pretty difficult bet for Reggie.
    Edited by 1 at 09/11/09 @ 08:49

  • Pirotic #3 2 years ago

    I bet you the average review scores for MW2 on 'a single format' will wipe the floor with what most press seem to be calling a rather lackluster mario title hitting during an already too quiet period for the Wii.

  • Zomoniac #4 2 years ago

    Not a chance. COD4 sold twice as many as Mario Galaxy, more than 3 times as many as Twilight Princess. Factor in that everyone who bought a second-hand copy of COD4 over two years based on delayed word of mouth (a lot) and thus didn't contribute to the 14 million new copies it sold will be buying a new copy of MW2 tomorrow, it's going to be doing opening week numbers Nintendo couldn't possibly hope to emulate.

  • peak_performance #5 2 years ago

    he's just accustomed to what great third party sales are on the wii, iamrite

  • Xerx3s #6 2 years ago

    Wait, didn't you run this story already? I'm sure that I read this last week. :/

  • M4RV #7 2 years ago

    I fail to see why such parallel was established to begin with... Totally different demographics for the most part.

  • bad09 #8 2 years ago

    MW2 cures cancer, is bigger than Jesus and wins Xfactor!

    I think I'm gonna leave EG alone this week....

  • spazmo #9 2 years ago

    He seems to think NSMB Wii will sell ala Wii Fit and the like. Not a chance. Nintendo could make the greatest Mario 2d sidescroller ever and it wouldn't touch a game with gunz in this day and age.

  • zedzee #10 2 years ago

    "Modern Warfare's a great title. As a gamer, I look forward to it."

    So which one of the 'other' consoles does he own and play it on?

  • Xerx3s #11 2 years ago

    Well, some new IP's and innovation would go a long way.

  • Pirotic #12 2 years ago

    I can imagine he's a stubborn git who's holding out for the DS version.

  • Quint2020 #13 2 years ago

    @Zomoniac I won't be! I'll be buying it second hand again :).

  • Santino #14 2 years ago

    it depends, if it sells anything like nsmb on the ds then it should be fairly easy, especially as the comments refer to outselling on one of the platforms hosting cod6.

  • Zomoniac #15 2 years ago

    Nintendo could make the greatest Mario 2d sidescroller ever and it wouldn't touch a game with gunz in this day and age.

    To be fair, NSMB DS has sold more than any game with guns ever. But it did so by spending 3 or 4 years without leaving the top 20. Nintendo can't generate day 1 hysteria like the other brands, they do slow burners. Wii Sports Resort, the sequel to the BEST SELLING GAME EVAR!!1!, has been out for several months, and has still sold less in that time than Halo 3 managed in 24 hours. But I have no doubt it will overtake Halo 3 in the long run. Similarly, for all we know NSMB Wii could be the next NSMB DS or Mario Kart Wii and sell a trillion copies, but if it does it will be over three years. I would bet my life that between now and Christmas both the PS3 and 360 versions of MW2 will invidually annihilate ANYTHING that Nintendo care to put up against it.

  • alimokrane #16 2 years ago

    IT may outsell the PS3 version but the 360 version NO CHANCE. the game is about to hit 2 million preorders in the US alone on 360!!!

  • spazmo #17 2 years ago

    "Well, some new IP's and innovation would go a long way."

    say's the man gagging for COD 6

  • KDR_11k #18 2 years ago

    LTD? Probably. Until January NPD? I don't think so. NSMB will probably be a slow burner, like many Nintendo games this generation.

    I think that's why he said MW2 on one format, over its lifetime NSMBW will outsell MW2 completely but until January it'll only beat one format.

    He seems to think NSMB Wii will sell ala Wii Fit and the like. Not a chance. Nintendo could make the greatest Mario 2d sidescroller ever and it wouldn't touch a game with gunz in this day and age.

    NSMB DS sold about as much as Wii Fit so why do you think there's no chance NSMBWii will do similar, especially since the Wii sells significantly more software per system (the DS has a pathetic attach rate)?
    Edited by 1 at 09/11/09 @ 09:17

  • youhavenomail #19 2 years ago

    Reggie better hope that Sainsburys are selling it for £16 on release day or all bets are off over here.

  • Zomoniac #20 2 years ago

    over its lifetime NSMBW will outsell MW2 completely but until January it'll only beat one format.

    I still don't think it will. I expect MW2 to be shifting 4m+ on each system by the end of this week, 7m+ by Christmas. There are only 4 (discounting Wii Sports and Wii Play) Wii games so far that have sold that many in their lifetime, and given Wii games sales tend to be drawn out over long periods, I can't see it happening.

    In fact, after the Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii fiascos, I think it would be impossible for his prediction to come true, given that even IF more people wanted NSMBW than either version of COD this Christmas, Nintendo won't actually ship enough copies anyway :)

  • Zomoniac #21 2 years ago

    You might want to check your facts there as Wii Sports Resort is currently at 7 million copies.

    I know that. Didn't H3 do a global 8m on day one? I know there were over 4m pre-orders, I have an 8m number in my head for something.

  • Xerx3s #22 2 years ago

    "say's the man gagging for COD 6 "

    I don't pretend that I don't play sequels, there is nothing wrong with that. I've been playing the same Nintendo franchises for about 10 to 20 years now, that gets a bit stale imo. MS and Sony launch at least 2 or 3 new AAA IP's of interest every generation and then keep supporting it. That's the difference.

    EDIT: Out of the 13 games I bought this year, 8 where totally new IP's.
    Edited by 1 at 09/11/09 @ 09:27

  • Zomoniac #23 2 years ago

    Fuck me, I provide some statistical evidence to suggest why this is unlikely and get marked down by the army of Nintendo zealots. Sorry if my facts suggest that your precious fucking NSMB isn't going to set fastest sales records, but I just showed you some numbers, it's not my fault there isn't a new Pilotwings.

  • Zomoniac #24 2 years ago

    It was 8.1 million about 3 months after release, which is the only official Halo 3 sales figure published by MS I believe.

    Fair enough. I humbly concede.

  • spazmo #25 2 years ago

    "say's the man gagging for COD 6 "

    "I don't pretend that I don't play sequels, there is nothing wrong with that. I've been playing the same Nintendo franchises for about 10 to 20 years now, that gets a bit stale imo. MS and Sony launch at least 2 or 3 new AAA IP's of interest every generation and then keep supporting it. That's the difference.

    EDIT: Out of the 13 games I bought this year, 8 where totally new IP's."

    That's fine. Although Sony & Microsoft do have many studios under their umbrellas and Nintendo do actually produce different IP's. Just not the IP's you or the 'hardcore' want at this moment in time.

  • youhavenomail #26 2 years ago

    "Fuck me, I provide some statistical evidence to suggest why this is unlikely and get marked down by the army of Nintendo zealots."

    Does all this post marking malarky actually matter beyond dents to self-esteem? Because if it does, then you buggers better mark this post that you're reading right now through the roof, or you'll have my blood on your hands - as well as all over my hands after I self-harm.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #27 2 years ago

    To be fair, NSMB DS has sold more than any game with guns ever.

    I was going to dispute that, but this page (yes, I know VGChartz is iffy, but the trends are probably not far off) was quite shocking to me:

    [link url=http://vgchartz.c om/worldtotals.php
    ]http://vgchartz.c om/worldtotals.php
    [/link]

    In any case you're still wrong, but only because of Duck Hunt.

  • Zomoniac #28 2 years ago

    In any case you're still wrong, but only because of Duck Hunt.

    Pack-ins don't count :)

    That chart is frightening. Nintendo have the top 13 best selling games ever, and 18 of the top 20??? Jesus Christ.

  • Malek86 #29 2 years ago

    I think Reggie is only talking about USA sales here. Otherwise, he wouldn't have cited NPD. Besides, he shouldn't care about EU or JP - not his competency territories. And in the USA, almost no Wii game has managed to reach the amount of sales COD5 did in the same first three months. Not even Wii Sports. Only SSBB managed to outsell it very slightly, but MW2 is supposed to be even bigger than COD5... and NSMB is not quite as hyped as SSBB was. One of the few relatively fast burners in Nintendo's whole Wii lineup until today.

    Reggie is up for a very difficult bet here. Maybe it could outsell the PS3 version, but even that would be hard to pull off. MW2 is supposed to have on the biggest launches in gaming history, and will probably. If the PS3 version sold even just half of the 360 one, it would still be a lot.

    I still say they have something up their sleeve, if they can make such a claim. Maybe they expect the launch during holiday season to help - after all, games like SSBB and Mario Kart were released during January and April.
    Edited by 1 at 09/11/09 @ 11:10

  • Ignatius_Cheese #30 2 years ago

    AAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!

    /head explodes due to humour overload

  • TonyHarrison #31 2 years ago

    By January? Doubtful... In twelve months time? Most likely.

    The DS version of NSMB has sold just shy of 20million copies after all, so there's definitely a market for a big sale there, regardless of what some may think.

    Just to add, the last time we had a situation like this was when Mario Kart Wii and GTAIV were released around the same time. And what happened there? Although GTAIV took the early lead, Mario Kart's legs simply destroyed it in the long run. I don't see any argument why this won't go the same way.
    Edited by 2 at 09/11/09 @ 12:48

  • Alterego-X #32 2 years ago

    "I fail to see why such parallel was established to begin with... Totally different demographics for the most part."


    Because Activision claimed that MW2 will be the best selling game ever.

  • makeamazing #33 2 years ago

    Well good for him... but I know which game i want to play more, and it doesnt have a plumber in it :).

    Because Activision claimed that MW2 will be the best selling game ever.

    They could be talking about release day sales? Didnt GTA say the same thing? We all know lifetime sales its not going to beat Wii Fit etc.

  • Zomoniac #34 2 years ago

    Because Activision claimed that MW2 will be the best selling game ever.

    Really? They're a bit deluded (but then, they think people will buy Tony Hawk Ride).

    I'm 99% certain it will be the fastest selling game ever, assuming there is stock to allow for that, but nothing more.

  • spazmo #35 2 years ago

    I don't know. Just because it was big on the DS is no guarantee of anything.

  • Burkey123 #36 2 years ago

    I think it could outsell it on the PS3. Lets not forget, they are releasing a Mario game, the most famous character in gaming. It's their biggest Xmas title and its out a month before Christmas. It provides for the ''hardcore and ''casual''(sorry for the terms). The DS version sold over 20M copies and I don't see why the wii version can't.
    It's actually going to be really close imo. But this time next year, NSMB will be miles ahead.

  • Arwin #37 2 years ago

    Mario may do well just because there are so few Nintendo titles being released. Nintendo said so themselves. I don't care either way, don't like either game!

  • DevilsNeverCry #38 2 years ago

    Haha, good joke Reggie, good joke.

  • Skurmedel #39 2 years ago

    He's one of these dudes you keep wondering why they are still relevant, and why people still interview him? He's boasting here as much as he did on his old job. He says more or less nothing of value.

    Hmm, sorry Fils-Aime, confused you with that ex-Sony guy... and yes, please keep giving me -1 for admitting my mistake.
    Edited by 3 at 09/11/09 @ 22:24

  • dllord #40 2 years ago

    Haha! What a tosser!

  • smelly #41 2 years ago

    *quick skim read*

    yip.. this thread is fanboy central.. moving on...

  • smelly #42 2 years ago

    Although that said :

    quote : "what most press seem to be calling a rather lackluster mario title "


    I'd love to know tho the "most press" are... This was the ONLY review i've found so far (90%)

    [link url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=22 6725
    ]http://ww w.computerandvideogames.com/art...[/link]
    Edited by 1 at 09/11/09 @ 20:25

  • YourMessageHere #43 2 years ago

    You get 100G if you manage to get a post to +/- 1000.

    Plus you get Eurogamer Acheevemantz and Gamerscoarz!

  • stevetuck #44 2 years ago

    am i the only one not buying MW2?

  • Skurmedel #45 2 years ago

    stevetuck: Nope, count me in.