Chart Stars Mario & Sonic Pass 5 Million
And all of that in just three short months.
The opening months of 2008 have already seen a few big-name releases, including a new Burnout and Capcom's long-awaited action game Devil May Cry 4. But for the last few weeks, the most popular game in the UK has been one featuring a plumber and a hedgehog going at it at the Olympics.
And it turns out it's not just Britons that have been snapping up Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Sega, which publishes the game, said on Wednesday that worldwide sales of the DS and Wii athletics game have now reached 5 million units in just three months since the game's release.
According to the announcement, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games had the best week ever for a Wii game in Europe in the week ending 11 December.
The success of the game is in large part a result of an increase in attention paid by publishers and developers to the growing numbers of casual gamers. This ever-growing group has gathered around Wii and DS, giving big numbers to games such as Nintendogs, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training and Wii Fit.
Sega president Simon Jeffery agrees.
"The market for entertaining games that everyone can enjoy is growing faster than any other segment in the industry, thanks in part to the explosive popularity of Wii and Nintendo DS," Jeffery said in a press release.
"A key element of our growth strategy at SEGA is to develop and publish games that appeal to this expanding market."
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo
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