Nintendo celebrates as Wii U software sales sky-rocket

Sales of software for Nintendo's long-suffering Wii U console sky-rocketed by 90% year-on-year in November 2014.

The NPD Group's video game hardware and software sales figures show the success of Super Smash Bros on Wii U and 3DS, which also helped drive sales of both devices.

The Wii U showed a 10% increase over last year's sales, meaning an estimated 242,000 were sold in the US. Meanwhile both the Pokémon Sapphire and Ruby remakes and Smash Bros on 3DS sold 1,500,000 units each.

Smash Bros on Wii U meanwhile sold 710,000 units in just 10 days on sale. Combined sales of the 3DS and Wii U versions of Smash meant the game finished third in the overall software chart, behind Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

3DS software sales were up 40% on last year thanks to Pokémon and Smash. All figures refer to retail and digital sales.

Hardware sales of the Wii U were the best they've been since the console launched in late 2012.

Nintendo also celebrated the success of amiibo, the near field technology-utilising figures used with Smash Bros and other forthcoming games. "Sales of amiibo are approximately equal to sales of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U so far, while Link, Mario and Pikachu (in that order) have been the best-selling figures to date," read a press statement.

"This is a ringing endorsement from families and fans that Nintendo has the best variety, the best value and the best gaming experiences for sale this holiday season," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "We're extremely confident in our holiday proposition and look forward to closing this year strong and starting 2015 with a full head of steam."