The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, or CESA for short, has released this year’s annual documentation of Nintendo’s sales from the previous year. The sales data that CESA provides is very interesting, as it provides sales numbers on video games that Nintendo doesn’t usually provide themselves. This year’s sales data from the CESA documents Nintendo’s sales data up to December 31st, 2021.
A lot of the sales themselves aren’t that surprising. However, there is one game in there that may surprise you. You see, CESA’s sales data not only includes the 3-4 months prior to the end of the limited time period of Super Mario 35th anniversary games, but anything afterwards. Super Mario 3D All-Stars managed to sell 750,000 units last year, for a lifetime sales total of 9,070,000. Nintendo’s 2021 fiscal year report had lifetime sales of the game at 9,010,000 as of March 31st, 2021. That was the date when Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Super Mario 35’s limited release period ended. It seems that the game managed to sell 60,000 more units after the game was no longer available, though it isn’t known how this happened.
As for other games, the game that received the most sales in 2021 was Super Mario Maker 2. It managed to sell almost a million copies last year, the only first-party game on the list to come close to that milestone, for a lifetime sales total of 7,890,000. Not too far behind that game is The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, which sold 750,000 units in 2021 for a lifetime sales total of 6,080,000. You can see the full list below.
- Super Mario 3D All-Stars – 750,000 (9,070,000)
- Super Mario Maker 2 – 980,000 (7,890,000)
- The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – 750,000 (6,080,000)
- Mario Tennis Aces – 620,000 (4,280,000)
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – 700,000 (4,120,000)
- Kirby Star Allies – 560,000 (3,980,000)
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses – 420,000 (3,820,000)
- 1-2 Switch – 180,000 (3,630,000)
- Paper Mario: The Origami King – 290,000 (3,340,000)
- Yoshi’s Crafted World – 450,000 (3,010,000)
- ARMS – 100,000 (2,660,000)
- Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – 270,000 (2,440,000)
- Pikmin 3 Deluxe – 290,000 (2,230,000)
- Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – 360,000 (2,130,000)
- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX – 290,000 (1,890,000)
- Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition – 200,000 (1,680,000)
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit – 500,000 (1,580,000)
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order – 190,000 (1,500,000)
- Astral Chain – 70,000 (1,280,000)
- Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training – 150,000 (1,200,000)
- Bayonetta 2 – 70,000 (1,040,000)
Source 1 / Source 2
