SSBB is fastest-selling Nintendo game

By Ellie Gibson Published 18 March, 2008

Two copies shifted every minute.

Nintendo has announced Super Smash Bros. Brawl has become the fastest-selling game in the company's history.

SSBB was released for the Wii on March 9th and over 874,000 copies were sold on that day alone. By March 16th, more than 1.4 million copies had been snapped up - with the game selling at a rate of over 120 units per minute.

"Super Smash Bros. Brawl has made the leap from videogame to cultural phenomenon," said Nintendo of America exec Cammie Dunaway, polishing the diamonds on the soles of her shoes.

"Game reviewers and the public alike praise its fun gameplay and extensive, inventive content."

The previous instalment in the series, Super Smash Bros. Melee, is the best-selling GameCube game of all time with more than 7 million copies shifted worldwide.

There's just one problem with SSBB's huge popularity - apparently it's causing problems for people trying to play online.

"As with the launch of any online-enabled game, especially one as popular as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, everyone wants to play at once," Nintendo said in a statement. "This puts a strain on the pipeline." That's cleared that up then.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (36) Latest comment 4 years ago

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

  • rashes #1 4 years ago

    "videogame to cultural phenomenon"

    Oh come on...

  • Garwoofoo #2 4 years ago

    ... which of course is why Nintendo Europe don't actually appear to want to release it. I think they're scared of making money.

  • Nylkran #3 4 years ago

    Doesnt surprise me one bit, now Royal Mail, hurry up with my copy.

  • Carlo #4 4 years ago

    So much for the 'cameintheboxlol' bollocks

  • ChrisOTR #5 4 years ago

    This game is getting so much coverage I'm sick of it before I've even played it.

  • DB2k #6 4 years ago

    Not been a fan of this series at all.
    Wonder if I'll like this one any more

  • asphaltcowboy #7 4 years ago

    /gets in before 'it'd be selling even faster if we could buy it IN FUCKING EUROPE' comments

    ;)

  • frod. #8 4 years ago

    "There's just one problem with SSBB's huge popularity - it causes people to lose all faith in humanity and seriously contemplate moving to the moon."

  • neilka #9 4 years ago

    Could everyone please stop putting a strain on Cammie's pipeline? Thanks.

  • AcidSnake #10 4 years ago

    Ummm...subcaption on front page says if shifts 2 copies a minute...Should be a second right?

  • pikemon #11 4 years ago

    nintendo has a high profile chance to fail if they botch the game servers for this and/or mario kart at launch

    any word on how the online play has fared this far? fighting game crowd is known to be pretty demanding with timing issues.

  • mingster #12 4 years ago

    shame it won't play on most people Wii's unless they send it back to nintendo to be 'cleaned'

  • captainrentboy #13 4 years ago

    I hope those same guys that were slamming the 360's Live service over Chrimbo due to high traffic are here taking the piss too. It's only fair.
    I've never ever played a Super Smash Bros title, what are they like, Powerstone?

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #14 4 years ago

    I don't really understand what all the fuss is about. I got the first one, and it seemed OK, but nothing really special. As far as I had read, the cube sequel was just more of the same, and this one is more of the same again but ith a story mode, and lacy-pants upskirt shots from Peach.

    Is it just that Nintendo fanboyism is so blinkered and extreme that a title sells proportinally to the number of high-profile Nintendo mascots in it?

    (braces for flames)

  • bad09 #15 4 years ago

    @ Mentalist(air)

    I'm with you friend I've played all the games and seen a lot of play footage from the new one on Xleague and I don't get it. Sure they are fun games (if a little basic) and a welcome addition to the Wii, but I can't see why the games always get so much attention.

  • sharpfish #16 4 years ago

    I bought SSBM on Gamecube after reading tonnes of great reviews of it. I tried to like it but found it completely lacking in compulsive gameplay or more than random jumping/bashing... lots of fun with a room full (or net full) of drunken mates perhaps but absolutely crap as a singleplayer game or even two player game.... IMO.. I don't see how this version is much different going on other nintendo series being pretty much 'the same' but more every time.

    Fair play to them though, at least it's a 'proper' game instead of that shovelware that's been coming out the past year for it... just would look like shit on my HDTV as the res is way too low i'm afraid (GC looks really bad on a 720p 32" set).

  • Darren #17 4 years ago

    I enjoyed SSBM on the GameCube, mostly for the colourful visuals and superb music actually, especially the latter, but I always felt the actual gameplay was a bit lacking, far too random and chaotic to actually be tactical or deep. At least it was funny. What made it initally appealing was seeing all those Nintendo characters being brouight to life against historical backdrops taken from the games but once that stopped impressing, the game became quite dull, less so in multiplayer but even that waned quickly IMO. Although I will buy the Wii follow-up, I can't say it's a game I'm itching to play particularly as I know exactly what to expect but I bought my Wii to play Nintendo games on so I can't really not buy it. I'm sure it'll be fun but I've a feeling it won't last; we'll see though...

  • LazyDan #18 4 years ago

    This game's ace, screw all the we-hate-anything-wots-popular moaners. It works perfectly on PAL Wii's with the Freeloader as well, so bollocks to NoE, just get it now via that route.

    I've not actually had any problems with lag so far, even the 'With Anyone' mode has worked perfectly for me with no lag, so no complaints there.

    I hate people who rate a game on what it isn't, rather than what it is - and what this is is the most balanced and fully featured of the series so far, and a fun and accessible take on the fighting genre. So what if it doesn't require you to spend 3 months perfecting tiny twitch movements with the controller? Maybe it's so popular because it doesn't demand that level of nerdery in order to play it satisfactorily.

    I've said it once and I'll say it again, Smash Bros is to Tekken as Mario Kart is to Gran Turismo. And that's not a bad thing whatsoever.

  • bitesize #19 4 years ago


    ^ amen to that.

    constantly amazed by the negativity on display on this site... i realise it's very cool to bash what's popular, and very uncool to show the slightest excitement about anything remotely cartoony, but fuckin hell, smash bros is a shit game now??? gc version was one of my fave games ever!

  • bad09 #20 4 years ago

    @ bitesize

    Don't take it so personally, peoples opinions vary remember! ;)

    Besides no one has actually said "smash bros is a shit game"

  • bitesize #21 4 years ago

    i dunno, all i can see is a page of negativity for a game where the previous installments are the most fun i've ever had with a gamepad in my hand...

    mind you, that's pretty much what happens to most other nintendo-related threads around here...
    Edited by 1 at 18/03/08 @ 10:35

  • sharpfish #22 4 years ago

    why do people continually use the 'they bash it cos it's popular' argument?

    For starters i'm a big Mario Kart fan (and I like nintendo) which is why the ONLY console I owned last gen was a gamecube!

    However this gen i've had a 360 (dead!) and now a ps3, I move around I have no one brand loyalty and if I think a game is shit in it's gameplay or excution then I say it. Bioshock for ex wowed the world, I hated it not because it was popular (which would be ridiculous because up until I played it I was bigging it up at every oppo and almost considered doing a fan site for it) but after playing it realised that it's gameplay didn't live up to it's premise.. nice theme, nice story, good idea, piss poor ergonomics/rewards/gunplay. Whenever I pointed that out all you got back was 'it's cool to bash bioshock cos it's popular' - thats BS, I didn't do it to be cool I was just totally dissapointed with the game.

    As for SSBM/SSBB, it's not quite the same, I haven't even played the Wii one (I don't have a Wii) but I KNOW the gameplay well enough from Melee and to me it was more an excercise in cramming in as much nintendo fanboy wet dream graphics/backdrops/characters than it was in creating a compulsive game for playing on it's own merits.

    It certainly isn't a bad game because for the players who want that kind of game it's one of the best (if not the best cartoon platformy fighting/bashing game), I just think it's overhyped and over complimented because it's on the Wii and there's not much 'hardcore' stuff on there.

    As for Bioshock, it was a crap game because within it's own genre on a gameplay level it failed very badly, but most people didn't notice this as they were too busy oohing and ahhing at the so called 'nice graphics' and the 'compelling story'.. to me graphics were decent, story was above average but execution was very scrappy/poor. They definitely favoured theme and premise over testing and gameplay which is WRONG WRONG WRONG!!

    Sorry for side track into Bioshock but it deserves a verbal kicking at least once a week because there are too many people thinking it's 'teh best game eva' when it barely qualifies. Go play System Shock 2 now there's an FPS game! :)

  • knocker #23 4 years ago

    I hi nk Smash Bros suffers from the same problem of other nintendo games. If you play metroid with the expectation it's a FPS, you will be disappointed. Play Smash Bros with the expectation of a fighting game you will be equally disappointed. They don't fit easily within genres - just a bit different rather than worse or better.

    "one of the best (if not the best cartoon platformy fighting/bashing game)" and that's really all that matters. I'm not going to start hating a game because of an insane amount of hype - any more than I would like one. It just makes me feel a bit more critical when I play it. Hype is irritating - but no more than that.
    Edited by 1 at 18/03/08 @ 10:39

  • bad09 #24 4 years ago

    @ bitesize

    Maybe I'm reading different but I see some looking forward to it, some who think it's an OK franchise but gets more hype than it should and, yes, some who don't like the game. Not negative just peoples opinion, you do not agree but (like them) you can put your own view to "balance" the comments.

    Sure it's your fav game but that's you, not the rest of the world. Remember that and the comments won't upset too much (rules a few should apply here) :)

  • bitesize #25 4 years ago


    ? i don't know why you think i'm upset... it's not my fave game at all, but it is a hell of a lot of fun if you let go of the must-be-hardcore mentality.

    i'm just baffled at the constant displays of negativity on this site, not just in this thread here but in many others...

  • knocker #26 4 years ago

    @bitesize

    It's just easier (and more fun) to bitch than be positive. Especially when that will only get you called a "fanboy".

    I like the series ... but I am surprised at the attention it gets. I always thought (from a fighting game perspective) it was a bit of a cult thing - like powerstone. The huge popularity may come from the appeal to nintendo 'fans'. but that doesn't detract from what is a fun game.

  • bad09 #27 4 years ago

    @ bitesize

    well "i dunno, all i can see is a page of negativity for a game where the previous installments are the most fun i've ever had with a gamepad in my hand... " made it sound like it was one of your favs.

    I know what you mean about being negative but remember it's negative to you but to someone else they are just speaking their mind.

    If you don't agree engage rather than confront. Stops the fanboy wars that way...we can all get along, I know we can. Peace and love!

  • Muddtallica #28 4 years ago

    I am, admittedly, a Nintendo fan, and as such I am the sort of person who does get a pleasant kick out of the abundant fan nods, but even leaving that aside, Super Smash Bros Melee would still be in with a good shout of being my favourite game ever, one of the few titles I could play every single day and never, ever get bored of. Having logged hundreds of hours of my life into the thing, I can tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it is very, very far from a random button basher. It's great at conveying a sense of colourful, slapstick chaos - indeed, that's what draws most people in in the first place - but put the time and thought into it and there's an ocean of depth, at least as much as any other mainstream fighting game: managing your moveset, figuring out how to make the most of each character's movement speeds and jumping distances, constantly reassessing your positioning in response to the changing terrain, timing dodges and rolls, experimenting and improvising with different items, etc. Like all the best games, you can pick the game up and enjoy yourself immediately, but if you want to get good, you can get really good, and the game will keep on giving. It can be overwhelming and random at first, but pick it apart and you'll find an incredibly well-considered and balanced fighting game...

  • Myke_Greywolf #29 4 years ago

    The fact that most people here can't even grasp the chaos-control marvel that is real SSB mastery, is a testament to the game's depth. It's a game that can be played like a button masher, but playing it like that would never, *never* allow one to beat someone who knows the intricacies of the gameplay.

    Don't underestimate this game.

  • foamy #30 4 years ago

    "Two copies shifted every minute. "

    I think you mean two copies every second. If the 120 per minute information on the extended article is correct, at least.

  • Ares #31 4 years ago

    Thank you Muddtallica and Myke, but alas!...No matter how plainly the excellence of SSBM is explained, there's always some mong* who fails to listen.




    *Whitey McCool :p

  • darc #32 4 years ago

    Have it out on rental right now, and the Mrs. and I are trying to wrap our heads around it. We're both fans of other Mario Bros titles, and this was SO hyped I kind of expected to love it right out of the box. But so far it's struck me as a rather retro button masher, and left her completely confounded. It is very pretty (on and off) and I'll admit that if you get into a series of matches vs. the AI it can be very addictive in the potato chip "just-one-more" sense.

    But I don't know if I'd call it a "good" game. If what Myke Greywolf has to say is true, then that's probably the crux of it, but I don't know that I have that kind of time or patience for this game.

  • darc #33 4 years ago

    Also: I was excited about the premise of the adventure mode in 2P co-op, but it's pretty lame on account of the frenetic pace coupled with the camera always chasing P1 to P2's detriment...

  • George-Roper #34 4 years ago

    WTF?! Of course its the 'fastest-selling Nintendo game'! It's simply amazing what you can achieve by releasing 6 months of mediocre, 3rd party, Wii shite and then release what will actually be a percieved quality title.

    Shit, I was actually looking at buying a Wii last week and couldn't even find 3 games that were worth having, let alone start planning what to get afterwards.

    Starvation videogaming. Nintendo own the future!

  • Davemanz #35 4 years ago

    Brawl is succeeding because it really is that good. The original game was a classic for people who like hitting things but hate fighting games. Melee was a lot more chaotic and appealed to hardcore fans of the original as well as fighting game fans. Brawl is a bit slower, and it feels like the perfect balance between the other two games. It's really quite fantastic, especially if you liked the original more than Melee.

    Also, +1 to Muddtallica
    Edited by 2 at 20/03/08 @ 06:12

  • smelly #36 4 years ago

    @George Roper.

    Come now,..If your going to troll, at least TRY to hide it a bit.

    "couldnt find 3 games worth buying" indeed. I can only presume you dont like games. Or only like games involving shooting and a colour scheme of lots of greys and brown...

    Then again, if that really is the only type of game you like.. may i suggest a 360.. that's all that console seems to have - you'll be right at home!