The Nintendo 3DS is the console to beat this hardware generation as the handheld is continuing to see strong sales thanks to a never ending deluge of quality game releases. It helped Nintendo rake in the dough last year, and it sees 2014 as an equally exciting year for 3DS owners.
Nintendo announced today that it has four 3DS games in the pipeline for the first four months of the year. Three are titles that we already knew were coming, but Nintendo also announced a surprise title for the North American markets.
The first major 3DS game release in 2014 will be Bravely Default on February 7. The Square Enix-made RPG has already been out in Japan for quite some time, but North American fans will finally get to experience what’s considered the first proper Final Fantasy-like title in a while.
Up next is the highly anticipated Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy. It’s the final installment in the second Layton trilogy and fans won’t want to miss it when it launches on February 28.
In March, Nintendo will release only one game, but it’s a good one – Yoshi’s New Island. This new Yoshi title is overseen by Takashi Tezuka – the creative director on the original Yoshi’s Island. It will launch on March 14.
Finally, Nintendo announced a surprise title for the North American markets – Disney Magical World. The title was known as Disney Magic Castle when it launched in Japan last year. The game puts players in the shoes of their Mii as they explore Disney World and interact with Disney characters.
Here’s the Japanese trailer for the title:
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Nintendo press release if the company didn’t too its own horn in some way. It says that the 3DS performed super well on both the software and hardware fronts in 2013 with lifetime sales of the Nintendo 3DS reaching 11.5 million in the U.S. alone. All those 3DS owners bought a lot of games as Nintendo notes software sales reached 16 million – an increase of 45 percent over 2012.
Nintendo’s Scott Moffitt says the company isn’t slowing down in 2014 and that “the best days of Nintendo 3DS are still to come.” If you’re a fan of the handheld, it looks like Nintendo will be taking care of you this year. Now if only Nintendo could keep up the same pace on Wii U releases, but that’s looking more and more unlikely.
Image via Nintendo/Business Wire