Nintendo Selling New Super Mario 2, Other Games In Stores, Online

Nintendo is going to sell New Super Mario Bros. 2 and other classic franchise games for the 3DS and Wii U as direct downloads and as a physical game. Company President Satoru Iwata made the announcement in a financial briefing on Friday. The games will be sold beginning in August.

Nintendo is expanding its digital download offerings to keep up with the latest market trends, something that will continue with the coming launch of the Wii U. In the briefing, Iwata said Nintendo was selling games digitally and physically to adapt to the changes in the circumstances surrounding the video game industry and to create a new business opportunity, according to Wired.

Iwata confirmed New Super Mario Bros. 2 would be the first of the digital and boxed games to be released. It will be available as a boxed game at stores, and it will also be available online via a simple code. The code can be entered at the Nintendo eShop, where it can be downloaded directly.

The fact that New Super Mario Bros. 2 is the first of Nintendo's flagship titles to be released as a downloadable game suggests Nintendo is extremely committed to its digital channels. This initiative could be pushed much further once the Nintendo Wii U is released.