Europe Goes A Wii Bit Crazy! News

Twenty-four hours after announcing Wii sales of 105,000 for the UK, Nintendo has today revealed that two-day sales of Wii across Europe topped 325,000 units - making the console the fastest-selling home system ever across the continent.

The console sold out across Europe, though Nintendo has announced that replenishing supplies are beginning to filter through, mirroring both North America and Japan. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess enjoyed an astonishing pick-up rate of 74% with 240,000 copies sold over the two days;, whilst Wii Play also had a measure of success with a pick-up rate of around 50%.

Laurent Fischer, Marketing Director for Nintendo Europe commented: "Wii has become an overnight success in Europe with people of all ages rushing out to get their hands on the console. Even at this early stage it is clear that Wii is delivering on its promise to expand the gaming market, with a uniquely diverse audience all keen to experience the sensation for themselves."

"For those who were unable to buy Wii during the launch weekend, rest assured more stock is already on its way and we are doing everything possible to ensure that a steady supply of Wii units is shipped to stores across Europe throughout December and into 2007."

Commenting on the launch Tim Ellis, Head of Games, HMV UK said: ""The demand for Wii has been truly amazing, and the official launch at our Oxford Street store was one of the biggest events we've ever staged there. HMV has received a huge amount of customer pre-orders - beyond anything we've ever seen before, including from family shoppers as well as dedicated Nintendo gamers. This suggests that while Wii is obviously one of the must-have items this Christmas, it also has the potential to appeal to a huge mainstream audience over the longer-term."

Nintendo of Europe has also revealed that there's been continued success for Nintendo DS, which has topped sales of 8.5 million units in Europe since it launched in March 2005. Last week's European sales for DS dwarfs even Wii, with over 515,000 units of the handheld sold across the territory- the most successful week of any console.

We'll have more news shortly...