The numbers are in and people really do love Nintendogs. The DS-only puppy simulator sold about 250,000 copies in its first week, according to Nintendo. Tendo goes on to say that the game is both America"s hottest selling video game and the best-selling new game franchise ever to hit a portable system. (Both statements are based on Nintendo"s internal tracking of sales, the independent numbers won"t hit for a week or two.)
Nearly 15 percent of all DS owners bought Nintendogs in just a week, a virtually unprecedented adoption rate for any title on an established system. And it"s also helping sell new DS hardware. Coupled with a price drop to $129.99, retailers are reporting DS sales up between one and a half and three times previous levels, and last week DS comfortably outsold our portable competitors
It looks like the game is well on its way to having the same impact on the gaming market here that it did when it hit Japan. Just goes to show that gamers are hungry for games that break the mold. Let"s hope that developers and publishers are paying attention.