Smash Bros. Wii U Sets Preorder Record

Nintendo's upcoming mascot fighting game, Super Smash Bros., has set a Wii U preorder record, and the company contends that the game could help spur system sales into the holiday season.

Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said in an interview with Bloomberg that preorders for Super Smash Bros. have exceeded Mario Kart 8's numbers, a game that went on to sell 3.5 million copies.

Fils-Aime did not provide a specific preorder figure for Super Smash Bros., and it's important to note that preorders, according to some, are no longer the best way of measuring purchase intent.

Still, Fils-Aime is bullish on the prospect of Super Smash Bros. driving Wii U hardware sales.

"The launch of Mario Kart 8 has essentially doubled our Wii U sales year-on-year," he said. "Our expectation is that the sell-through for Smash is going to be very strong, certainly on par with what we saw with Mario Kart 8. We think the impact on hardware will be similarly dramatic."

Nintendo had sold 7.29 million Wii U systems as of September 30. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U will be released on November 21.

For more on Super Smash Bros., check out the video above and our previous coverage. The 3DS version of the game arrived earlier this year, selling millions of copies out of the gate.