Gaming: Nintendo Super-Smashes sales charts; a new Switch?; and more

What happens when you get a bunch of Nintendo mascots in one arena and tell them they can’t go anywhere until they’ve sorted out all their cartoonish differences? You get the third best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch.

Nintendo’s recently-released sales numbers for its in-house-developed Switch titles revealed that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has rapidly ascended to the number three spot on the console’s list of top sellers, having already moved a match-winning 12.08 million copies. The third-place finish means that Ultimate has outsold all other Nintendo titles except Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (15.02 million copies) and Super Mario Odyssey (13.76 million) — and we’re talking about a game that’s only been on the market since Dec. 7 of last year. 

It’s mind-boggling to consider, but in less than two months’ time, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate already has sold more copies than The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which slots into fourth place at 11.68 million copies. Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu!/Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee! — another game that’s only been available for about two months — rounds out the top five at 10 million copies.

Even as the Switch continues to enjoy Wii-like success as a must-have console for both dedicated and casual gamers, Nintendo may be eyeing new ways to keep its go-anywhere gameplay concept fresh. A Nikkei report picked up by Gematsu suggests the Mario maker is planning a smaller, less expensive version of the hybrid console; one that may remove some of the features found on its larger sibling in order to improve portability. 

That report predicts the revised version of the Switch should arrive sometime this year — alongside a “more expensive” premium version of its Nintendo Switch Online service — but it doesn’t indicate a release date for either. Until Nintendo reveals its plans, it may be best to regard this one as a promising-sounding rumor — and keep on playing.

Characters from Atlus' venerable Persona JRPG franchise reportedly will bring their hit Japanese crossover game stateside this year for a U.S. release on Nintendo’s other handheld console.

Via IGN, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth — a crossover that mixes new characters with the full casts of mainline titles Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 — is coming to our shores as a Nintendo 3DS exclusive this summer. 

Featuring the brand of turn-based battles the Shin Megami Tensei spinoff series is known for, players reportedly will be able to assemble their battle team from a lengthy roster of Persona all-stars. The game uses the 3DS’ split-screen function to allow map tracking on one screen, while playing in first-person mode on the other. There’s also a new “Unison” battle system to reward crossover character pairs who go off on their own to solve side missions.

First released in Japan last year to catch the wave of Persona 5’s critical and sales success, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth will be available beginning June 4.