Okay, now things are really starting to take shape. China has approved the release of the Switch Lite, which will be distributed by Tencent. Even more interesting, this particular SKU would include a demo for New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. Looks like things really are moving ahead in China. Seems like we might have some sort of release date announcement in the not-too-distant future!
Nintendo has been working with Tencent since April to bring the Nintendo Switch system over to China. Now, the first Nintendo Switch software has been approved to be sold in the country. New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe has been approved by Chinese regulators, and it's only a matter of time before the Switch is sold in the fast-growing Chinese gaming market.
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe has seen release on Switch in most areas of the world, but that doesn't include China. Looks like Nintendo has plans to bring the game out in the region, as the game was recently approved for China. The title was submitted by Tencent, who Nintendo is working with to bring the Switch and its software to China.
GfK Entertianment has announced that New Super Mario Bro. U Deluxe and FIFA 19 are the best-selling physical games in Europe so far this year. FIFA 19 performed better in the Benelux countries of Denmark, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the UK, while Mario proved more popular in Austria, France, Germany, and Switzerland. Red Dead Redemption 2, Days Gone, Minecraft, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe secured seven, five, and three spots respectively. Data comes from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain and the UK.
Slowly but surely, Nintendo is looking to bring the Switch out in China. Those efforts continue today, with four copyright contracts related to the platform. Nintendo is looking to secure copyrights for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey, and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe in the region. Hopefully they get approved, and the movement towards an official launch can continue on.
If you haven't figured it out by now, Nintendo's Doug Bowser wanted to make it clear. While Nintendo will continue selling the 3DS, they don't have plans to talk about it at E3 this year. He shared that sentiment in an interview with Time, which you can read a snippet of below.
At this point, we have no games to announce on 3DS at this show, and in fact we’re not really showing 3DS content here, because it is all about Nintendo Switch. But our 3DS business continues to do quite well. Retailers continue to support both the hardware and the software. And as long as there’s consumer demand for 3DS, we’ll continue to support it. In fact, we believe it’s a great entry point for young gamers. A 2DS at $79 with a game included is a great value proposition for a young gamer coming into the Nintendo ecosystem.
Bowser, and Nintendo in general, are all about Switch right now. There's certainly plenty of games to talk about on that platform! Wondering what Bowser is playing on his Switch?
Right now I’m playing — I’m looking at my Switch — I’m still diving deep into Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe and trying to get through the game. I’m a bit of a completionist when it comes to platformers. I’m playing Cuphead right now, being challenged by Cuphead —
We recently shared a video about unused content in New Super Mario Bros. U, which I'm sure spawned on some interest in finding similar content in New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe. That's exactly what happened, and now a new video has surfaced showing that there are 101 unused levels in the game! Check out the video to get a look at some of the content.
Coming from Nintendo's financial briefing...
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe sold over a million copies within two weeks of its release in January 2019, and has continued to maintain a steady pace. As of the end of March, cumulative sell-through had passed 2.5 million units globally. It has also helped drive hardware sales since the start of the year, and we have confirmed that it is contributing to active engagement with Nintendo Switch.
Initial sales of Yoshi’s Crafted World, released at the end of March, have like many of the other Nintendo Switch games released so far, outperformed that of past titles in the series. In addition, the percentage of female consumers is relatively high for this title compared to other Nintendo Switch titles, both in Japan and overseas.
Between New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, you proably think you've seen everything the game has to offer. I know I did! That's not the case though, as there's a bunch of unused content in the game! You can't access it through normal means, but in the video above, you can see the content through the use of a fan-made editing tool.
Nintendo has some big plans to promote the Switch in Japan for Golden Week. The Big N will be setting up shop in the AEON Mall Makuhari, Chiba on April 29th and 30th, and AEON Mall Kyoto on May 1st and 2nd, 2019. The in-store events will give customers the chance to try out the Nintendo Labo: VR Kit, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Yoshi’s Crafted World, and Pokémon: Let’s GO! Pikachu/Eevee.
Playing each game will net you a special item for each. The items include a Switch Cardboard Stand, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe or Yoshi’s Crafted World clear file, and squeezy Poké Ball.
