Nintendo GameCube Hits No. 1 in USA

Gamecube, GBA

After rocketing up the charts the past several weeks, the Nintendo GameCube has now reached No. 1 - it's America's top-selling home video game console, according to direct sales data from the nation's leading retailers. Nintendo GameCube sold more than half a million systems to consumers during Thanksgiving week, easily surpassing its console competitors. Among all game devices, it trailed only Nintendo's portable Game Boy Advance, which sold almost 600,000 units to U.S. buyers during the week.

"All along, our business plan for this year was to maximize consumer interest and sales during the fourth quarter," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "But frankly, we're overwhelmed by how successful we've been. Our price cut of Nintendo GameCube has ignited sales to the degree that it may turn out to be the best-selling console for the entire month of November. We're tracking to sell more systems in the last eight weeks of the year than we did in the previous 10 months combined."

Nintendo GameCube went from No. 3 to No. 1 in just two months, evidence that the Sept. 25 price drop to an MSRP of $99.99 and the hot new games were just what the public wanted. The library of games available for Nintendo GameCube now stands at more than 320, including America's current hottest game, Mario Kart: Double Dash exclusively for Nintendo GameCube, role-playing and sports games, Pokémon titles for younger players and action and racing games for adults.

Numerous new and upcoming releases that will keep the momentum going include 1080°: Avalanche, a shred-'em-up snowboarding game; Mario Party 5, the ultimate party game; F-Zero GX, the fastest racing game on the market; Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, a golf game that appeals equally to novices and experts; Pokémon Channel, the first-ever Pokémon game available for Nintendo GameCube; and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, an upcoming role-playing game that continues the hit franchise.